Technologies of the Self in Contemporary South American Shamanisms
Indigenous Religious Traditions August 4, 2023 Pablo Wright 1 citation
This analysis compares two South American shamanic traditions using Foucault's concept of technologies of the self. The Qom/Toba indigenous shamanism in Argentina's Chaco region and the Brazilian ayahuasca religion Santo Daime each create ontological thresholds through specific self-practices that challenge Christian and scientific worldviews. Historical context of Argentine and Brazilian socio-religious fields frames these shamanisms. Ethnographic data highlights how both traditions develop technologies of the self to achieve direct connection with the numinous, contesting assumptions about dominant worldviews.