The Production of Entheogenic Communities in the United States

Entheogenic religions, which use psychoactive drugs, are often studied in ways that support practitioners' claims of legitimacy. This Element instead offers a historical and critical analysis, examining how entheogenic communities in the United States are produced, the historical factors behind the rise of psychedelics, and how the law shapes these groups. It argues that these communities, like all imagined communities, are culturally conditioned, socially constructed, and historically contingent. Exploring these contingencies reveals the broader sociocultural, historical, and economic frameworks underlying the growing link between psychoactive substances and religion.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The rise of entheogenic religion – that is, religions that involve the use of psychoactive drugs – has captured the attention of scholars and journalists. These studies tend to advance the interests of practitioners who advocate for the legitimacy of entheogens and of entheogenic religion more broadly. This Element breaks with these approaches as it offers a historical and critical analysis of entheogenic communities. It examines the production of entheogenic groups in the United States and considers the historical factors that have contributed to the rise in psychedelics more broadly. It also explores legal considerations and the impact of the law as a curator of entheogenic communities. This Element recognizes that these communities – like all imagined communities – are culturally conditioned, socially constructed, and historically contingent. By exploring these contingencies, we learn more about the broader sociocultural, historical, and economic frameworks that underlie the burgeoning association of psychoactive substances and religion.