The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity

A Cognitive Anthropological Perspective

By (author) H. Sidky

Publication date:

21 June 2017

Length of book:

266 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498551892

In The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity, H. Sidky examines shamanism as an ancient magico-religious, divinatory, medical, and psychotherapeutic tradition found in various parts of the world. Sidky uses first-hand ethnographic fieldwork and scientific theoretical work in archaeology, cognitive and evolutionary psychology, and neurotheology to explore the origins of shamanism, spirit beliefs, the evolution of human consciousness, and the origins of ritual behavior and religiosity.

Chapter 1: Shamans and Shamanism: Issues and Problems from an Anthropological Perspectives
Chapter 2: Shamanism and Altered States of Consciousness
Chapter 3: Psychoactive Drugs, Chemical Ecstasy, Shamanism, and the Origins of Religion
Chapter 4: The Prehistory of Shamanism
Chapter 5: Shamanism and Upper Paleolithic Cave Art
Chapter 6: The Origins of Spirit Beliefs and Implications for Shamanism: A Perspective from the Cognitive Sciences
Chapter 7: Evolution of the Modern Mind, Spirit Beliefs, and Shamanism
Chapter 8: Shamanism and Spirit Beliefs among the Neanderthals
Chapter 9: Animism and the Shaman’s Cognized Universe
Chapter 10: The Shaman’s Path: Becoming a Spirit Master and Cosmic Traveler
Chapter 11: Shamanic Performance: Restructuring Reality, Healing the Sick, and Crisis Management
Chapter 12: Spirit Encounter, Shamans, and Anthropologists: Epistemological and Ontological Challenges

A masterful and much needed consideration of shamanism drawing on the latest findings in the cognitive sciences. Outstanding.