Decolonization is a metaphor towards a different ethic. The case from psychedelic studies
Christine Hauskeller, Taline Artinian, Amelia Fiske, Ernesto Schwarz Marin, Osiris Sinuhé González Romero, Luís Eduardo Luna, Joseph Crickmore, Peter Sjöstedt-hughes
Interdisciplinary Science Reviews September 27, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/03080188.2022.2122788 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe study of psychedelics is troubled by dualisms—subject and object, self and other, culture and nature, synthetic and natural, colonizer and indigenous, literal and metaphorical—that appear in both colonial and decolonial thought. Drawing on feminist and decolonial theory and a discussion of metaphor, the authors argue that research often lacks critical engagement with these binaries. A narrow view of coloniality limits critiques of contemporary capitalism, including the progressive colonization of the life-world and commodification of psychedelic experiences. Fears that decolonization is becoming merely a 'metaphor' implicitly reinforce the conceptual power dynamics of colonization. As a critical metaphor, decolonization can help reassess problematic distinctions shaping thinking, material realities, and experiences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Metaphor Decolonization Indigenous Commodification Epistemology |
| Citations | 26 |
| Key finding | The study of psychedelics is troubled by dualisms used in both colonial and decolonial thought, and a narrow understanding of coloniality hinders critiques of contemporary capitalism and commodification of psychedelic experiences. |
Abstract
Indigenous psychedelic uses have long been imbricated with colonialism and its afterlives. Amidst tensions from accelerating investor interest in psychedelics and calls to decolonize research and practices, we argue that the study of psychedelics is troubled by dualisms used in both colonial and decolonial thought: subject and object, self and other, culture and nature, synthetic and natural, the colonizer and the indigenous, the literal and the metaphorical. Feminist and decolonial theory as well as a discussion of metaphor support our argument that the study of psychedelics often lacks critical engagement with these dualisms. A narrow understanding of coloniality hinders far-reaching critiques of contemporary capitalism, including progressive colonization of the life-world and commodification of psychedelic experiences. Fears that decolonization is becoming just a 'metaphor' implicitly reaffirm the conceptual power dynamics of colonization. In research on psychedelics, decolonization as a critical metaphor enables reassessing problematic distinctions that shape thinking, material realities, experiences.