"Shamanism in Cross-Cultural Perspective"

Urban Shaman

Michael Winkelman is one of the foremost scholars on shamanism today. In a recent article in the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Winkelman reviews the origins of the concept of the shaman and the principal sources of controversy regarding the existence and nature of shamanism. Confusion regarding the nature of shamanism is clarified with a review of research providing empirical support for a cross-cultural concept of shamans that distinguishes them from related shamanic healers. The common shamanic universals involving altered states of consciousness are examined from psychobiological perspectives to illustrate shamanism's relationships to human nature. Common biological aspects of altered states help explain the origins of shamanism and the diverse manifestations of basic shamanic experiences. Read more.