Jean Langdon: transformations and perspectives from half a century of research about shamanism
Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America November 30, 2024 Isabel Santana De Rose
This paper reviews Jean Langdon's key contributions to the study of shamanism, emphasizing her role in reviving research in the 1980s when male anthropologists dominated the field. Langdon proposed that Indigenous shamanisms be understood as cosmological systems, emerging from specific political and historical contexts, and as dialogical categories shaped by diverse actors, discourses, and interests. The review highlights her influence on the anthropology of health and Indigenous health policies, as well as on discussions of gender and female agency in lowland South America. Langdon's later work focuses on contemporary shamanic networks, particularly those centered on ayahuasca, which connect Indigenous and non-Indigenous actors across geographic and conceptual boundaries, underscoring the dynamic and creative nature of Amerindian shamanisms.