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Guenther's Theory Of Shamanism

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Such limitations, which constrain the range of possibilities for interpreting SDFs, can be argued to be the result of a sense of inertia having developed in the field. Those working within the purely shamanistic paradigm tended to build from one attitude or theoretical standpoint to another, working on the same emic principles. Following Guenther's discussion of hierarchy amongst the Ghanzi San of the Kalahari, Campbell, Dowson and finally Blundell seem to have followed suit, although employing altered theoretical lenses. Consequently, there developed a linear progression not only in scholarship (from Guenther to Blundell) but also in the interpretation of SDFs themselves. If we remove the linear progression and view SDFs in the context of …show more content…

The term 'shamanism' was first made popular is cultural anthropology by Mircea Eliad (1972), from the Tungusic śaman denoting a "technique of ecstasy" (Eliad 1972: 4), achieved by specialists within magico-religious contexts. The term has been widely applied to other non-Western societies that contain within their communities people with the ability to transcend the boundary between the 'real' and 'spiritual' worlds. Shamans are distinguished from 'magicians' or healers by his/her ability to engage in specific 'magical' pursuits such as flight, or control of resources (Eliad 1972: 5). Importantly, a shaman is also distinguished by his or her ability to achieve a form of trance state in which his or her soul exits the body to ascend (or descend) into another world (Eliad …show more content…

Shamanism is then a cultural construct, or cosmology of certain non-Western societies. Dowson's definition appears to be in line with that of Eliad but the context in which he uses it is to subvert its applicability to San rock art interpretation. Dowson (2007, 2009) argues that shamanism is not an appropriate interpretative lens through which to view San rock art as it denies the role of non-shamans (human and non-human) in reproduction of society. I fundamentally disagree with Dowson's position; it appears to be a political statement rather than a theory based on extensive consideration of interplay between shamanism and animism. I shall return to this further into the

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