Kateřina Petružálková: The Ayahuasca Subculture in Prague Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Department of Cultural Studies, MA Thesis, 95 pages, 2013 The aim of the thesis is to describe the phenomenon of ayahuasca, the sacred amazonian psychotropic beverage. The structure of the thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part the thesis deals with the attributes of ayahuasca, shamanism in the Upper Amazon, globalization of ayahuasca and ayahuasca syncretic churches. It is also described a variety of ritualized usage of ayahuasca and the current position in the Czech Republic. The practical part consists of a qualitative research among the members of ayahuasca subculture in Prague and self reflection of ayahuasca experience. Keywords: ayahuasca, shamanism, Upper Amazon, ritual

This dissertation applies anthropology analysis to study a specie of a tree frog, living in the northern Amazonia, called Kambo. The wax-like substance, which the frog releases upon irritation, is used for its healing potential around the world. A basic conceptual framework is used to analyse the frog from the perspective of modernity, globalisation, and diffusion of cultural dimensions. The dissertation anticipates their influences on multiple parties. The geographical scope of the dissertation is limited on Amazonia and the Czech Republic. Kambo is a host of numerous biochemical interactions; in addition, it is used in socio-material context; in rituals; for gaining, or circulation of experience; or it is part of various techniques of understanding oneself, as described in later works of Michel Foucault. Due to Kambo's alleged participation on creation of human's subjective thinking, the dissertation answers the question on the extent to which Kambo could be responsible, through ethnographic lens. The results show that for those respondents who were experienced Kambo users; using the substance as a potion for treating physiological and mental issues and who were subsequently influenced by New Age movement; Kambo stands as a milestone in their life trajectories. Through the ethnographic research,...

The aim of this diploma thesis was to define the basic features of traditional Mongolian treatment guidelines, with an emphasis on traditions of non-buddhist treatment. The main attention was paid to the healing method "dom", which stands on the border between folk medicine and magic, and is part of Mongolian cultural traditions. The first chapter "Classification of Mongolian traditional medicine" is dedicated to arranging the division of medical techniques in Mongolian territory and tries to set the techniques into historical context. The second chapter "Healing Tradition in the territory of Mongolia" focuses on the description of each treatment technique. The third chapter is devoted to the treatment of the Mongolian tradition called "dom". Since the Western literature refers to "dom" as magic, attention is paid first to magic. The second part consists of interviews on the issue and the definition of "dom" recorded in Mongolia and the final part follows with concrete examples of the "dom" set within the wider context of traditional methods of medical treatment. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This master thesis focuses on the theme of a rite of passage, of a pupil turning into a master. It is about the material and mental change during a performance in the space of a baroque chapel. In this way, a man´s spirit and the genius loci of a place are interconnected.

This dissertation examines the process of shamanic healing and recovery with an emphasis on client's perspective and offers an interpretive framework within which patients' experience can be understood. The thesis is based on field research and in-depth interviews with clients of shamanic healing. Based on their accounts, the thesis examines, how they perceive, describe and experience shamanic healing. Then seeks to answer the question of how and what shamanic healing "really" heals and cures. This thesis first examines the broader topics and then proceeds into deeper detail. The first chapter deals with defining and situating contemporary shamanism within the milieu of contemporary alternative religiosity. It understands "alternative spirituality" - through a definition focused on religious practice - as a "religion" and shamanism as its "configuration". The second part of the thesis undertakes a historical analysis of the discursive understanding of the word "shaman" and shows how the meaning of the word "shaman" has changed over time to the contemporary popular understanding of the shaman as a healer. The following chapters deal directly with shamanic healing. The third chapter deals with shamanism in terms of ethnomedical classification and through the concepts that shamans use in healing....

RESUMÉ V ANGLICKÉM JAZYCE Since the 1980s, a revival of religious traditions, whose continuity was disrupted considerably in the Soviet-era Russia, has been in motion in the entire area of Siberia and Central Asia, among the so called 'rooted nations'. While major religious groups, such as buddhism and islam, could successfully pick up the threads of their religious traditions thanks to their written resources; religions based mainly on oral transmission are facing the opposite situation, shamanism not being an exception. Intense tension coming from the spirituality of their own ethnic traditions, which spontaneously opened after many years of the Communist secularization, in the case of shamanism hit the barriers of how to adequately re- establish the disrupted traditions (lack of living bearers and experts on their own traditions, initiated and uninitiated shamans, and other ceremony specialists, ignorance of symbolism). The whole process of rebirth, revival or revitalisation of shamanism is entirely consistent with the context of current issues concerning constituent societies, which naturally carries the legacy of Soviet culture. Political and economic changes in the post- Soviet space also enabled the bearers of traditions to become open to a wide range of new influences from abroad. Revitalization...

The topic of this paper is the disenchantment of the world and a possible ontological status of "mystical beings" such as fairies or power animals. I deal with this topic in three areas, namely in the positivist hegemony, where the existence of such beings is absurd, in the depth psychology of Carl Gustav Jung, where they are identified as archetypal symbols, and in the urban shamanism, where the existence of these beings is presented as a matter of fact. At first, I use the method of Foucault and the analysis of Adorno and Horkheimer to trace the ontological prescription that made the existence of such beings unthinkable for us, and I identify it in the select theories of John Locke and Henri Bergson. Here I find the prescription of homogeneity to be the principal ontological condition which allows only one possible mode of being and all beings that do not fulfill this condition can exist only as psychological entities. I read then Jung's work and urban shamanism as answers that aim to justify the status of these beings on this ontological ground. Jung finds in them an articulation of deep psychological forces in his theory of collective unconscious, and thus guarantees their significance but does not deny their ultimate psychological status. However, shamanism postulates their existence in a...

Subject of this paper is a mongolian novel called The Shaman's Story wrote by G. Ayurzana. After an introduction of the history of modern mongolian literature and a short description of the autor's life comes the first chapter about the way the shamanism of Buryats is described in the novel. By comparing parts of the novel and secondary literature I am trying to find, whether and if yes, to what amount is the novel's description close to actual reality. In the next chapter is explained the author's writing style, the structure of the novel and its dynamics. The enclosure includes original and translated transcription of an e-mail corespondation with the author and a czech translation of most of the legends that appear in the novel.

Korean folk religion is often mentioned in the publications of western Christian missionaries, who have carried out their missionary work in Korea and it has also become a popular research topic of Japanese researchers during the time of Japanese annexation of Korea (1910-1945). This thesis compares the contents of chosen publications from the first half of 20th century of western and Japanese authors that deal with Korean shamanism in hope of confirming or refute the hypothesis that Korean negative view of the Japanese research is caused not by the factual mistakes in said publications, but rather is due to the rivalry between both nations. Unfortunately, while absolute confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis was not possible, we can see a tendency of Korean academia to excuse the mistakes in publications of western authors due to their lack of knowledge of the Korean culture and on the other hand dismiss the Japanese research because of the authors' connection to the colonial government.

Korean folk religion is often mentioned in the publications of western Christian missionaries, who have carried out their missionary work in Korea and it has also become a popular research topic of Japanese researchers during the time of Japanese annexation of Korea (1910-1945). This thesis compares the contents of chosen publications from the first half of 20th century of western and Japanese authors that deal with Korean shamanism in hope of confirming or refute the hypothesis that Korean negative view of the Japanese research is caused not by the factual mistakes in said publications, but rather is due to the rivalry between both nations. Unfortunately, while absolute confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis was not possible, we can see a tendency of Korean academia to excuse the mistakes in publications of western authors due to their lack of knowledge of the Korean culture and on the other hand dismiss the Japanese research because of the authors' connection to the colonial government.