Shamanism

Gary Edson, professor emeritus of museum science at the Center for Advanced Study of Museum Science and Heritage Management at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, was executive director of the Museum for 25 years. The author of numerous books and articles on museum practices, he lives and works in Taiwan, R.O.C.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      1. Spiritual Exaltation      2. Shamanism and Belief      3. Shamanistic Power and Magic      4. Shamanistic Symbolism      5. Shamanism and Imaginative Representation      6. Shamanic Ritual and Transformation      7. Shamanic Divination and Curing      8. Spirits, Dreams, and Ecstasy      9. Transformation and Shape-Shifting      10. Life, Death, and Sacrifice      11. Transcendental Shamanism      Notes to the Captions      Notes to the Text      Bibliography      About the Photographs      About the Drawings      Index

“scholarly treatment of a subject critical for understanding the evolution of human psychology...he engages in a thought-provoking investigation into the need of our prehistoric ancestors for psychic equilibrium in face of the unknown and the threatening”—Against the Grain.