Unclaimed Research on the Tungus Shamanism

Abstract

Being based on the unique field materials and characterized by the originality of theoretical and methodological ideas, Shirokogoroff’s study of the Tungus shamanism can enrich the contemporary anthropology. However, it still remains little known to the academic community. This article discusses some of Shirokogoroff’s theoretical and methodological concepts and contributions, such as changeability, flexibility, and high degree of adaptability of shamanic praxis; the conditions that produce shamanic collective disease; the impact of the Eurocentric worldview on researchers’ interpretation of their shamanic ideas; and other issues that might be of interest in the context of the present-day anthropological discourse.