RT Article
T1 The Importance of Ritual Discourse in Framing Ayahuasca Experiences in the Context of Shamanic Tourism
JF Anthropology of consciousness
VO 31
IS 2
SP 223
OP 244
A1 Fotiou, Evgenia
LA English
PB American Anthropological Association
YR 2020
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1734033975
AB In this article, I discuss how ritual is framed in the context of ayahuasca tourism, using ethnographic data collected in and around Iquitos, Peru. Alluding to a lack of socially sanctioned spaces for altered states of consciousness (ASCs) in western cultures, contemporary seekers flock to the Amazon to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies for an array of reasons, including healing and personal transformation. Taking Gregory Bateson's concept of “framing” as a point of departure, and applying Erving Goffman's frame analysis, I will show that contemporary ayahuasca ceremonies attended by westerners are designed to be liminal, transformative, and meaningful experiences that aim to heal the body through emotional modulation. I will demonstrate how this is achieved through specific discourse that takes place before or during rituals in the form of long speeches delivered by the shamans. This framing not only separates the ritual space as liminal but also frames the way that the experience is conceptualized by the participants, ultimately increasing its meaningfulness.
K1 Amazonia
K1 Ayahuasca
K1 Framing
K1 Ritual
K1 Shamanism
DO 10.1111/anoc.12117