Week 2: Miguel Flores
Shamanism: Anthropological Study
As traditional beliefs and practices continues to thrive with our modern lifestyle there will be blurred definitions on how it works and how it is governed or regulated by the people who practice them. As an STS undergrad, part of my training is to look at the complexities of certain networks and ideologies. As a young enthographer, there are boundaries in which certain phenomena are hard to explain or observe. Shamanism for example has an order and traditions that they live by and when society tries to intervene and regulate it, something so profound can be bounded by constitutions that prohibits the free practice of a belief. Cultural contexts do play a big part in understanding the way things are. As modern times start relying on scientific evidence and proof, practices like Shamanic healing has to defend itself in order to preserve its old tradition and cultures that are attached with it. The unexplained uncertainties of Shamanism and its effort to modernize its practices to go with the new generation of believers and healers constitutes an unsettling realization that old traditions have been thriving in a 21st century era. The modernization of such beliefs hints that the future of these old practices are evolving to appeal to a variety of contemporary believers and curious spectators, this begs the question: do modernization and digitization of the 21st century slowly coercing belief systems to step up with times? That's the question we are trying to answer here. Innovations in medicine and continuous research in unexplained anomalies seems more logical than the illogical beliefs and out-of-this-world ideologies - and this is why Shamanism is in trouble. People rely on logical reasoning to justify their skepticism and curiosities, but what people don't realize is that they may be slowly killing culture when they deflect ancient old beliefs and practices.
Even in this context, we see Western ideals are slowly being preferred by many and there's a growing perception that old beliefs doesn't imply anything or cure diseases. Anthropologists and ethnographers are trying to justify the juxtaposition of culture, traditional medicine, and belief systems to preserve a socio-cultural narrative for Shamanism. Shamanic healing has become its own branch in the ethnomedical sector. As laws and ethics becomes more defined in today's day and age, there's a risk that we are also killing the practices of these beliefs. Sure, we can all say that belief systems such Shamanism is considered illogical, but I think we are all missing a point here that a culture is just a shell without any guiding principle behind it. Preserving Shamanistic traditions do not imply that it is for our amusement, but preserving it means we still value the cultures and beliefs that our ancestors have created and fought to exist in the modern world. I think it is our due diligence to recognize these values and that there is a moral lesson to every story. We should learn how to appreciate these values and take pride of what our ancestors have carefully practiced and preserved for the next generations to come.
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| Shamanism is more than just a belief and practice, but it is part of many cultures' rich history. |
Even in this context, we see Western ideals are slowly being preferred by many and there's a growing perception that old beliefs doesn't imply anything or cure diseases. Anthropologists and ethnographers are trying to justify the juxtaposition of culture, traditional medicine, and belief systems to preserve a socio-cultural narrative for Shamanism. Shamanic healing has become its own branch in the ethnomedical sector. As laws and ethics becomes more defined in today's day and age, there's a risk that we are also killing the practices of these beliefs. Sure, we can all say that belief systems such Shamanism is considered illogical, but I think we are all missing a point here that a culture is just a shell without any guiding principle behind it. Preserving Shamanistic traditions do not imply that it is for our amusement, but preserving it means we still value the cultures and beliefs that our ancestors have created and fought to exist in the modern world. I think it is our due diligence to recognize these values and that there is a moral lesson to every story. We should learn how to appreciate these values and take pride of what our ancestors have carefully practiced and preserved for the next generations to come.
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