Description
The World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition by Roger Walsh is an interdisciplinary exploration of shamanism as one of the world’s oldest healing and spiritual traditions. The book examines shamanic practices through the lens of contemporary academic fields, including medicine, psychology, neuroscience, consciousness studies, and religious studies.
Walsh presents shamanism not as a single uniform system, but as a diverse set of traditions found across different cultures, unified by shared practices such as healing rituals, altered states of consciousness, and spirit-based cosmologies. The text evaluates these practices alongside modern scientific perspectives, aiming to bridge traditional indigenous knowledge systems with current scholarly understanding.
Structured as an accessible overview, the book combines cultural description with analytical discussion, making it suitable for both general readers and students of anthropology or spirituality. It considers the role of shamans as healers and mediators within their communities, as well as the psychological and physiological interpretations of altered states.
The World of Shamanism is suited to readers interested in comparative religion, consciousness studies, and cross-cultural approaches to healing and spirituality, offering a balanced examination of ancient traditions in a modern intellectual context.
