Shamanism and Its Discontents
Medical Anthropology Quarterly June 1, 1988 Michael Fobes Brown 55 citations
Shamanistic healing is not simply a dyadic transaction between shaman and patient but a polyphonic experience where clients actively compete with the shaman to shape the session's discourse. A textual analysis of a curing session among the Aguaruna Jívaro of Peru shows that the ritual blends political and medical themes, revealing contradictions in a belief system where shamanism and sorcery are intertwined. Although the session may achieve symbolic closure, the shaman's revelations merely transfer disorder from the individual body to the broader political body.