Anthropology Commons^™

The Expansion Of Early Buddhism In Yunnan: The Grottoes Of Shibaoshan, Audrey Pazmino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The expansion of Buddhism from India into China followed several different routes, one of which was the Southern Silk Road. The cosmopolitan nature of this crossroads between India, the Tubo Empire of Tibet, the Nanzhao Kingdom in the Erhai region, and the Tang dynasty in China greatly impacted the types of Buddhist sites constructed during this time period.

Buddhism also took on new characteristics from the local ethnic groups in the Erhai region, particularly the Bai ethnic minority. The grottoes of Shibaoshan are one of these early Buddhist sites in Yunnan that reflect the integration of traditional Indian and Tibetan …

“Heaven And Earth” Samoan Indigenous Religion, Christianity, And The Relationship Between The Samoan People And The Environment, Grace Wildermuth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines Samoan indigenous religion and the relationship between Samoans and the environment before and after the introduction of Christianity. It looks at how Christian beliefs and the cultural perspectives of European missionaries affected Samoa’s environment. It then considers Samoan indigenous religious values that may be helpful to combat current environmental problems. Primary and secondary sources were used, including interviews with both theologians and environmentalists. Samoan indigenous religion promoted a sustainable relationship with the land but Christianity and the cultural lens through which it was delivered had negative environmental effects. Samoa retains a deep environmental knowledge in the memories …

Postmodern Trickster Strands In Shamanic Worlds, Jürgen W. Kremer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This essay explores socio-philosophical meanings of shamanic cultures and practices and

their affirmation and revival. What is their potential significance for humanity’s future? I

argue that shamanism engages humans in practices that put us potentially at the center of

our creativity and creative visioning. The trickster figure, a pervasive indigenous presence,

so often seems pivotal in this process and this pervasively male figure plays an important

part in this regenerative interpretation of postmodernism; in fact, postmodernism can be

understood as trickster. Just like the trickster, the nature of postmodernism is ambiguous.

I explore this ambiguity and suggest that shamanic practices …

Shamanism In Cross-Cultural Perspective, Michael Winkelman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article 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 shamanistic healers.

The common shamanistic 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 of consciousness help explain the origins of

shamanism while social influences on this aspect of human nature help to explain …

Transpersonal Effects Of Exposure To Shamanic Use Of Khoomei (Tuvan Throat Singing): Preliminary Evaluations From Training Seminars, Vladislav Matrenitsky, Harris L. Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Khoomei is a Tuvan Siberian shamanic practice involving overtone throat singing. One hundred eighty-one Western participants completed questionnaires after attending Khoomei seminars, asking about the following: motivation of people to learn shamanic throat singing; self-perception at the levels of body, energy, and mind before-and-after the seminar; feelings and sensations from practicing throat singing; transpersonal experience during throat singing; experience of inner vibrations from listening to the singing; and general state and feelings after seminar. In general, most participants reported many benefits from attending the seminars, although a few reported mild negative effects (e.g., dizziness and sadness). Of particular interest are …

Introduction To Special Topic Section: Shamanism, Adam J. Rock

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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My Path In Shamanism, Michael Harner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Shamanism, Imagery Cultivation, And Psi-Signal Detection: A Theoretical Model, Experimental Protocol, And Preliminary Data, Adam J. Rock, Lance Storm

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Shamans As Healers, Counselors, And Psychotherapists, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Shamanic models of healing, counseling, and psychotherapy differ from Western models in that

they emphasize closeness to the natural world as well as to one’s body and life’s spiritual dimensions.

Shamanic practices reflect the ideals of harmony and knowledge. In shamanism, there is no division

between “mind” and “body,” hence what Westerners refer to as “mental illness” is seen as part of

the total client being treated by a shaman, a perspective that often includes the client’s family,

community, and the world of “spirits.”

Experiences Of “Soul Journeys” In The World’S Religions: The Journeys Of Mohammed, Saints Paul And John, Jewish Chariot Mysticism, Taoism’S Highest Clarity School, And Shamanism., Roger Walsh

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

“Soul journeys” are a central practice of shamanism. However, they have also been important

in many other religious traditions and have exerted a major impact on religions, cultures, and

history. This article surveys some important journeys in the world’s religions such as those of

Mohammed, the Christian saints Paul and John, Jewish Chariot Mysticism, Taoism’s Highest

Clarity tradition, and shamanism. The article explores the experiences of these journeys, techniques

for inducing them, culturally specific features, and the range of metaphysical interpretations of

them. It also examines some of the surprising ways in which journeys are currently impacting

Western culture, ranging …

A Reply To Abramson’S Response To My “Beyond Mind” Papers And Some Reflections On Wilber V, Elias Capriles

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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A Promised Land In The Diaspora: Christian Religion, Social Memory, And Identity Among Banabans In Fiji, Wolfgang Kempf

Pacific Studies

This article explores the evolving concept of diaspora, highlighting its departure from its original religious connotations to a broader framework encompassing migration, transnationalism, and identity. While religion has often been overlooked in contemporary diaspora studies, the article argues that Christian institutions play a pivotal role in shaping identity and social organization among Pacific Islanders living abroad. Focusing on diasporic Banabans in Fiji, the study examines how Christian discourses and biblical narratives—particularly the Exodus motif—have been appropriated to articulate a collective history of displacement and survival. The article situates Pacific migration within a historical and colonial context, demonstrating how religion functions …

Conversion Theory Through The Cognitive Science Of Religion Lense In A Christian-Muslim Context, Jennifer A. Garcia

Scripps Senior Theses

The Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) in recent years is beginning to become more popular. This project evolves around the development of the field as well as critiques of the field. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of CSR, it lends an interesting way to understand religion as well as religious experiences. One of those religious experiences, conversion, is examined and explored through the use of conversion narratives from western women who were formally Christian but converted to Islam. Many themes arise out of this research that paves the way for trying to understand religious experiences. Overall, the project focuses on …

The Sacred Role Of Animal Beings In Iroquois Lore, Melissa J. Martinelli

English Theses

The act of storytelling provides a connection between the spiritual and physical spheres, and the Haudenosaunee people (more commonly recognized as Iroquois) utilize the oral narrative to convey the most sacred truths of their culture. In focusing primarily upon animals and animal beings, one can recognize the deep reverence traditional tribal members feel toward animals as certain legends seek to unite individuals with the spirits, personalities, and bodies of such creatures in narrative form. Too often animals are overlooked as “lesser” beings, yet in legends of the Iroquois they possess potent orenda (great power) that can help one achieve success …

Modern Modesty: The Renegotiation Of Female Pious Dress In Modern Pentecostal Assemblies, Amanda Beth Phillips

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hair buns, high necklines, long sleeves, ankle length skirts, and simple yet practical work style shoes have exemplified Pentecostal women's dress throughout the history of the movement. Their bodies fervently protected from impropriety and immorality, through prescribed attire, are the sites upon which the church inscribes its vision of the modest Pentecostal woman. How dress is used within the community to `set apart' those assembly members whom have achieved the appropriate holiness lifestyle not only makes them upstanding members of the church assembly but also defines them as `saints' (sanctified ones, holy assembly members) and helps to develop their relationship …

Faithful Remembering: Constructing Dutch America In The Twentieth Century, David E. Zwart

Dissertations

The people of the Dutch-American community constructed and maintained a strong ethnoreligion identity in the twentieth despite pressures to join the mainstream of the United States. A strong institutional completeness of congregations and schools resulted from and contributed to this identity. The people in these institutions created a shared identity by demanding the loyalty of members as well as constructing narratives that convinced people of the need for the ethnoreligious institutions.

The narratives of the Dutch-American community reflected and reinforced a shared identity, which relied on a collective memory. The framing, maintaining, altering, and remodeling of the collective memory from …

Supernatural Experiences (Fa 74), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scans of two out of thirteen papers (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 74. [Supernatural Experiences] Project completed by Western Kentucky University students for a folk studies class taught by Lynwood Montell. Collection focuses on short supernatural events experienced by informants. Subjects include dreams, ghosts, Ouija boards, sleepovers, church experiences and others.

Mitchell, Eleonore Beck (Fa 71), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 71. “Pre-Lent Celebrations: Shrovetide and Carnival. An Annotated Bibliography.” This collection consists of an annotated bibliography complied by Eleonore Beck Mitchell for a folklore genres class at Western Kentucky University. The collection offers a brief historical account of Shrovetide and Carnival and their connection to Catholicism. The bibliography contains a total of 168 bibliographic entries and annotations for 97 of those entries.

Mcnulty, Sara Jane (Fa 37), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 37. [Trance channeling experiences] Oral history project completed by Sara McNulty with Marilyn Cline, Anne Cataldo and Arthur Cataldo concerning their experiences with trance channeling. Project completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Includes data forms, indices, tape summaries, transcriptions and cassette tapes.

Jenkins, Greg (Fa 33), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection 33. [Prison ministry] Interviews conducted with Overt Ray Rich by Greg Jenkins about his work with prison ministries for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky Univeristy. Contains index, tape summary, transcirpts, comments.

Exploring Sacred Objects And Their Meanings In Catholic Mexicano Households: Domestic Religious Practices In San Antonio, Mary E. Durocher

Wayne State University Dissertations

Anthropological literature in the study of material culture argues that person/object interactions are important to the construction and maintenance of social relations and personal identity both in the present and through time. It is through relationships and interactions with things that people come to "know who they are" (Tilley (2007). This line of thinking has led some Latino studies scholars to propose that the retention of traditional aspects of culture, such as religious practices, often serves as a way of negotiating personal or cultural identity in an ever changing social milieu (Sandoval 2006, Aponte and De La Torre 2006). This …

Toward A Holistic Interdisciplinary Model Of Human Being: A Hebraic-Christian Perspective Of The Human Observer And Its Beneficial Impact On The Theology-And-Science Dialogue, Society, And The Environment, Karen K. Abrahamson

Dissertations

Problem

A challenge faced by the theology-and-science dialogue is how to effectively communicate across disciplinary lines. The community assumes that there is a methodology or cluster of methodologies that allows for interdisciplinary conversation to take place. However, the community is not in agreement about how this process should occur or the hermeneutical principles that should guide it. Is it possible to surmount the problem of methodological compatibility and to generate mutually beneficial and fruitful dialogue through seeking a point of commonality between all the disciplines of the theology-and-science dialogue?

Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover a philosophical …

Shamanic Knowledge: The Challenge To Information Science, Jay H. Bernstein

Publications and Research

Shamanism, a form of healing involving soul travel and trance found in many traditional societies the world over, has been studied by anthropologists and scholars of religious studies. Shamanic traditions are characterized by specialized, restricted, and esoteric knowledge domains that are encoded and communicated through condensed and mystified symbols and reproduced in ceremonies. Shamanic knowledge is acquired through direct experience of the numinous, usually in the process of overcoming personal affliction. Information science so far has been silent on shamanic knowledge. This is understandable given the latter discipline's focus on formal documentary information systems and advanced information technologies. But in …

A New Paradigm: Brazilian Catholic Eco-Justice Activism In The Neoliberal Age, Lena R. Connor

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

This paper analyzes how traditional liberation theology in Brazil has been adapted in the neoliberal age to encompass ecological goals and rhetoric. In this research report, I first examine the work of prominent Brazilian ecotheologians, Ivone Gebara and Leonardo Boff. I then look into the applications of such ecological liberation theology in Catholic activism in Brazil, focusing on the role of religious advocacy in dam controversies, land reform, and mining.

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes: Omani Perceptions Of The Supernatural, Jennifer L. Borger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a student who came to Oman knowing very little about the Arab world or Islam, I can safely say that my knowledge has increased tenfold. Upon entrance to the country in January 2011, I had no idea what my independent research study would end up addressing. Upon first hearing of the concept of the evil eye and all it relates to, my interest peaked. I began to think that this topic was interesting enough to command a month’s attention from me. This all changed during a weekend trip to Salalah, in the south of Oman, which included a lecture …

Shirley, Latrel, B. 1989 (Fa 543), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 543. Paper titled "The Bible Time Capsule" written by Latrel Shirley about Lisa Gail (Morrison) Shirley's Bible and the ephemera stored in it. Includes colored illustrations.

Moore, Julian "Jack" (Fa 536), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 536. Sixteen music tracks recorded by Julian "Jack" Moore, soloist, accompanied by Mary Alice Black, pianist. The selections are chiefly hymns.

Fur Trade 07: Native Peoples And The Fur Trade, Rachel B. Juen, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 7. Shifting Political Alliances and Power, Transformations of Culture, and Religion and Worldview.

Fur Trade 01: Beaver: Mainstay Of The Trade, Rachel B. Juen, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 1. Hunting, Hides, and Hats, Environmental Effects, and Why Beaver?

Fur Trade 06: How The Fur Trade Worked, Rachel B. Juen, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 6. Government Regulation, From Montreal to the West, and Movement of Goods and Furs.