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Anthropology & Sociology

How Religion, Race, and the Weedy Agency of Plants Shape Amazonian Home Gardens

December 4, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Biology & Ethnobotany, Papers, Publications / By /

Abstract

Across Brazilian Amazonia, it is common to find rural households that keep plants with magico-medicinal properties in their home gardens. Despite widespread occurrence of such plants, some Amazonians—especially in Evangelical communities—openly criticize their use as incongruent with Christian belief and practice. In this article, I offer ethnographic observations that indicate divergent attitudes toward magico-medicinal plants between Evangelical Christians and Amazonian folk Catholics, the latter of whom borrow heavily from Afro-Brazilian and indigenous religions. I contend that Evangelicals’ attempts to establish distance from such plants is due in part to histories of ethnic and racial marginalization that are indexed in their use. Still, many magico-medicinal plants are weedy species that actively colonize areas occupied by humans, thus openly defying Evangelical attempts to evade them. In this manner, magico-medicinal plants are not just subject to human agencies, but are arguably agents in their own right.

Kawa, N. C. (2016). How Religion, Race, and the Weedy Agency of Plants Shape Amazonian Home Gardens. Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment, 38(2), 84-93. 10.1111/cuag.12073
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Medicine, religion and ayahuasca in Catalonia. Considering ayahuasca networks from a medical anthropology perspective

October 18, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Papers, Psychiatry & Medicine, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage from the Amazon, traditionally used by indigenous and mestizo populations in the region. Widespread international use of the beverage began in the 1990s in both secular contexts and religious/spiritual networks. This article offers an analysis of these networks as health care systems in general and for the case of Spain and specifically Catalonia, describing the emergence and characteristics of their groups, and the therapeutic itineraries of some participants. The medical anthropology perspective we take enables us to reflect on the relationship between medicine and religion, and problematize the tensions between medicalization and medical pluralism. Closely linked to the process of medicalization, we also analyze prohibitionist drug policies and their tensions and conflicts with the use of ayahuasca in ritual and ‘health care’ contexts. The paper ends with a reflection on the problem of ayahuasca as ‘medicine’, since the connection between religion and medicine is a very difficult one to separate.

Apud, I., & Romaní, O. (2017). Medicine, religion and ayahuasca in Catalonia. Considering ayahuasca networks from a medical anthropology perspective. International Journal of Drug Policy, 39, 28-36. 10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.07.011
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Ayahuasca and Sumak Kawsay: Challenges to the Implementation of the Principle of “Buen Vivir,” Religious Freedom, and Cultural Heritage Protection

September 15, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Biology & Ethnobotany, Papers, Publications / By / , , ,

Abstract

The current environmental crisis can be approached, through many perspectives, as a civilizational crisis. Alternatives of human transcendence are identified in the Inca civilization to compensate for the malaise that characterizes the actual crisis. There is a multicultural dimension to the manifestations of Hoasca (or Ayahuasca) occurring in Amazonian countries. As employed by the Beneficent Spiritist Center União do Vegetal (UDV) in a religious context, it can contribute to the reconstruction of buen vivir (or in Quechua, sumak kawsay, meaning complete wellness), which served as the principle of the civilizations that preceded the colonization of the Americas by Europeans. Today, the State openly confronts the manifestation of the constitutional principles of buen vivir, religious freedom, and the protection of this cultural heritage. Here, the implications of the civilizational crisis and ways of overcoming it are approached from the standpoint of deep ecology, but the implications also reflect the doctrinal vision of the UDV to which the authors are affiliated.

Irigaray, C. T. J., Girard, P., Irigaray, M., & Silva, C. J. (2016). Ayahuasca and Sumak Kawsay: Challenges to the Implementation of the Principle of “Buen Vivir,” Religious Freedom, and Cultural Heritage Protection. Anthropology of Consciousness, 27(2), 204-225. 10.1111/anoc.12057
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Ayahuasca Treatment Center Safety for the Western Seeker

September 15, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Biology & Ethnobotany, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

Ayahuasca, an ancient Amazonian psychedelic tea traditionally used ceremonially among indigenous peoples, has recently become known as a possible treatment for a wide range of disorders. The awareness of this sacred medicine has grown exponentially over the past decade, attracting westerners from a wide variety of backgrounds, hoping to find treatment for a myriad of emotional and physical illnesses, as well as spiritual needs. In the wake of the commercialization and westernization of the use of ayahuasca, and the subsequent proliferation of ayahuasca treatment centers, this paper examines the benefits and possible risks of this form of therapy in an effort to create a safety protocol for Westerners in this context. The most practical approach to increasing safety for Westerners attending these Amazonian treatment centers is to educate the seeker prior to treatment and to provide access to specialized therapeutic aftercare services.

Ray, R. R., & Lassiter, K. S. (2016). Ayahuasca Treatment Center Safety for the Western Seeker. Anthropology of Consciousness, 27(2), 121-150. 10.1111/anoc.12060
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Spirituality, drugs, and tourism: tourists’ and shamans’ experiences of ayahuasca in Iquitos, Peru

June 22, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Papers, Publications / By / , , ,

Abstract

This study critically evaluates the complex inter space of spirituality, drugs, and tourism through tourists’ and shamans’ accounts of ayahuasca tourism in Iquitos, Peru. Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage traditionally consumed for spiritual and health purposes. Using micro-ethnography, one of the researchers was immersed for one month in the tourism experience of ayahuasca. The findings reveal the ambivalent nature of tourists’ experiences and the changing meaning and practices of ayahuasca. Tourists’ encounters with ayahuasca were perceived as spiritual due to better understanding and perception of ‘self’ and ‘others’. Shamans’ encounters with tourists were mostly positive but negative consequences on their practices were evident. The study highlights issues of fluidity, positionality, and self-identification of roles in tourism.

Prayag, G., Mura, P., Hall, C. M., & Fontaine, J. (2016). Spirituality, drugs, and tourism: tourists’ and shamans’ experiences of ayahuasca in Iquitos, Peru. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-12. 10.1080/02508281.2016.1192237
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"Quite a Profoundly Strange Experience": An Analysis of the Experiences of Salvia divinorum Users

May 13, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Papers, Publications, Salvia / Salvinorin A / By / , ,

Abstract

Salvia divnorum (an intense hallucinogen) is currently illegal in New Zealand under the 2014 Psychoactive Substances Amendment Act. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research surrounding Salvia divinorum and its effects in a New Zealand context. To explore the experiences of Salvia divinorum users, an anonymous questionnaire was advertised through flyers placed in locations where young adults congregate. A total of 393 people took part in the online questionnaire in 2010-2011, while salvia was legally available in New Zealand; 167 respondents had used salvia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the resulting open-ended questionnaire data and three key themes were identified: the effects of salvia; the importance of set and setting; salvia use and pleasure/not-pleasure. Recreational use of salvia was situated within a broader drug landscape, with participants being drug experienced and “drug wise” (Measham, Aldridge, and Parker 2001). Use of salvia also appeared to be intermittent, with its use referred to as a novel experience. Thus, the recent criminalization of salvia under the 2014 Act may see a significant decline in use as experienced drug users look elsewhere for novel drug experiences.

Hutton, F., Kivell, B., & Boyle, O. (2016). “Quite a Profoundly Strange Experience”: An Analysis of the Experiences of Salvia divinorum Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2016.1179376

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“Quite a Profoundly Strange Experience”: An Analysis of the Experiences of Salvia divinorum Users

May 13, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Papers, Publications, Salvia / Salvinorin A / By / , ,

Abstract

Salvia divnorum (an intense hallucinogen) is currently illegal in New Zealand under the 2014 Psychoactive Substances Amendment Act. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research surrounding Salvia divinorum and its effects in a New Zealand context. To explore the experiences of Salvia divinorum users, an anonymous questionnaire was advertised through flyers placed in locations where young adults congregate. A total of 393 people took part in the online questionnaire in 2010-2011, while salvia was legally available in New Zealand; 167 respondents had used salvia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the resulting open-ended questionnaire data and three key themes were identified: the effects of salvia; the importance of set and setting; salvia use and pleasure/not-pleasure. Recreational use of salvia was situated within a broader drug landscape, with participants being drug experienced and “drug wise” (Measham, Aldridge, and Parker 2001). Use of salvia also appeared to be intermittent, with its use referred to as a novel experience. Thus, the recent criminalization of salvia under the 2014 Act may see a significant decline in use as experienced drug users look elsewhere for novel drug experiences.

Hutton, F., Kivell, B., & Boyle, O. (2016). “Quite a Profoundly Strange Experience”: An Analysis of the Experiences of Salvia divinorum Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2016.1179376

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How psychoactive drugs shape human culture: a multi-disciplinary perspective

April 12, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Papers, Publications / By /

Abstract

Psychoactive drug use occurs in essentially all human societies. A range of disciplines contribute to our understanding of the influence of drugs upon the human world. For example pharmacology and neuroscience analyse biological responses to drugs, sociology examines social influences upon people’s decisions to use drugs, and anthropology provides rich accounts of use across a variety of cultural contexts. This article reviews work from multiple disciplines to illustrate that drugs influence aspects of culture from social life to religion, politics to trade, while acting as enablers of cultural change throughout human history. This broad view is valuable at a time when the influence not only of traditional drugs but a growing armoury of novel drugs is felt and debated.

Wadley, G. (2016). How psychoactive drugs shape human culture: a multi-disciplinary perspective. Brain Research Bulletin. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.04.008
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The routes of a plant: ayahuasca and the global networks of Santo Daime

March 31, 2016 / Anthropology & Sociology, Ayahuasca, Papers, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

This paper examines the Santo Daime religion, the Amazonian town of Céu do Mapiá which is one of its primary spiritual centres, and Ayahuasca, a key sacrament of the Santo Daime religion. The small village in the Amazon demonstrates the active outreach by a place which functions as a nexus of international and intercontinental flows of substances, bodies and meanings. The power of place is entwined with the story of religious belief and practice, which in turn depends on a tropical vine, Banisteriopsis caapi. In this networking process, we find a confluence of human agency with more-than-human agency, as well as the modalities of religious experience, crossing and dwelling. It is demonstrated that religious networking can be understood in terms of three forms of crossing (terrestrial, corporeal and cosmic) held together by the power of place (Mapiá and other subsidiary spiritual centres). In addition, three aspects of the ‘ayahuasca network’ are treated in depth: religious diffusion and adaptation, interaction with environmental movements and ideologies and contestation with legal structures and processes surrounding international drug traffic and the use of psychoactive substances.

Lowell, J. T., & Adams, P. C. (2016). The routes of a plant: ayahuasca and the global networks of Santo Daime. Social & Cultural Geography, 1-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2016.1161818
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