This article introduces two central issues in the anthropological study of shamanism: how the term 'shamanism' is used conceptually and the main methodological approaches for researching it. It proposes a cognitive map of shamanisms organized around key anthropological ideas. The text also suggests a way to structure the vast literature on shamanism from both paradigmatic perspectives (covering approaches, schools, and frameworks) and a historical perspective (covering stages, phases, and periods of research). The article provides a structured entry point into the complex field of shamanism studies.
Mongolian shamans use social media to spread what they consider correct knowledge about their tradition. The internet, combined with their creativity, helps convey aspects of shamanism that are hard to put into words. While shamans show great diversity—drawing on tradition, heritage, Buddhism, and global movements like neo-shamanism and environmentalism—their statements share recurring themes about the complex interdependence of human and non-human beings in a hierarchical cosmic system. This analysis contributes to discussions on knowledge production in various discourses and attempts to incorporate the ontology of the "subject" into ethnographic theories, inspired by philosophically oriented anthropologists.