In Darkness and Secrecy

The Anthropology of Assault Sorcery and Witchcraft in Amazonia

Autor: Whitehead, Neil L.; Wright, Robin; Wilbert, Johannes; Vidal, Silvia M.
Editor: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822385837
eISBN Pdf: 9780822385837
Lloc de publicació: Durham , United States
Any de publicació digital: 2004
Mes: Juny
Pàgines: 256
DDC: 133.4/3/09811
Idioma: Anglés

Descripció

In Darkness and Secrecy brings together ethnographic examinations of Amazonian assault sorcery, witchcraft, and injurious magic, or “dark shamanism.” Anthropological reflections on South American shamanism have tended to emphasize shamans’ healing powers and positive influence. This collection challenges that assumption by showing that dark shamans are, in many Amazonian cultures, quite different from shamanic healers and prophets. Assault sorcery, in particular, involves violence resulting in physical harm or even death. While highlighting the distinctiveness of such practices, In Darkness and Secrecy reveals them as no less relevant to the continuation of culture and society than curing and prophecy. The contributors suggest that the persistence of dark shamanism can be understood as a form of engagement with modernity.

These essays, by leading anthropologists of South American shamanism, consider assault sorcery as it is practiced in parts of Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, and Peru. They analyze the social and political dynamics of witchcraft and sorcery and their relation to cosmology, mythology, ritual, and other forms of symbolic violence and aggression in each society studied. They also discuss the relations of witchcraft and sorcery to interethnic contact and the ways that shamanic power may be co-opted by the state. In Darkness and Secrecy includes reflections on the ethical and practical implications of ethnographic investigation of violent cultural practices.

Contributors. Dominique Buchillet, Carlos Fausto, Michael Heckenberger, Elsje Lagrou, E. Jean Langdon, George Mentore, Donald Pollock, Fernando Santos-Granero, Pamela J. Stewart, Andrew Strathern, Márnio Teixeira-Pinto, Silvia Vidal, Neil L. Whitehead, Johannes Wilbert, Robin Wright

Cover
Copyright page
Title page
Contents
Rumors. Editorials
- 100 years…
- Re-cognizing McLuhan’s critical thought
Messages. Papers
- McLuhan Misunderstood: Setting the Record Straight
- Apocalypse and Alchemy: Visions of Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye
- Thoughts After McLuhan
- Marshall McLuhan and Sholem Aleichem
- Tradition into Text: Plato’s Dialogues, the Literate Rev- olution, and the Foundations of Media Theory
- Learning in Digital Media; the Legacy of McLuhan and his Impact on Formal Education
- Is This the Death of the University? Knowledge Production and Distribution in the Disintermediation Era
- From tactile to magic: McLuhan, changing sensorium and contemporary culture
- L I N K FACULTY Understanding Connections, Making Connections
On Air. Interviews
- Wicklow, July 23rd, 2010
- On the Wall
Media Archeology
- The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Card Deck (1969)
Media Ecology
- Media Ecology Map of a theoretical niche
From the Gutenberg Galaxy
- Counterblast in the world of Art
- Elaine Brodie
- Steven Kovats
- Cristina Miranda de Almeida
Probes. Discussions