Animism rather than Shamanism: new approaches to what shamans do (for other animists)

Abstract

What shamans do is sometimes said to involve possession by spirits. However, shamanism has also been defined in opposition to spirit possession. This chapter proposes that approaching shamans and their activities, ideas and communities via the perspective provided by recent re-examination and re-definition of "animism" may improve and and enrich scholarly understanding and analysis of the activities and unvolvements of shamans