Shamanism and the Origin of States: Spirit, Power, and Gender in East Asia

ISBN-13: 9781598741322 / Angielski / Twarda / 2008 / 304 str.

Sarah Milledge Nelson

Opis

Sarah Milledge Nelson's bold thesis is that the development of states in East Asia--China, Japan, Korea--was an outgrowth of the leadership in smaller communities guided by shamans. Using a mixture of historical documents, mythology, archaeological data, and ethnographic studies of contemporary shamans, she builds a case for shamans being the driving force behind the blossoming of complex societies. More interesting, shamans in East Asia are generally women, who used their access to the spirit world to take leadership roles. This work challenges traditional interpretations growth of Asian states, which is overlaid with later Confucian notions of gender roles. Written at a level accessible for undergraduates, this concise work will be fascinating reading for those interested in East Asian archaeology, politics, and society; in gender roles, and in shamanism.

Spis treści

Preface and Acknowledgments xv , CHAPTER 1: ORIENTATION TO SHAMANISMAND THE ORIGIN OF STATES , CHAPTER 2: LANDSCAPES, LEGENDS, AND SKYSCAPES, CHAPTER 3: WHAT IS A SHAMAN? CHAPTER 4: POWER, LEADERSHIP, AND GENDER, CHAPTER 5: SHAMANS IN THE EAST, ASIAN NEOLITHICCHAPTER 6: SHAMANISM IN EARLY CHINESE STATES, CHAPTER 7: SHAMANISM IN KOREA, CHAPTER 8: SHAMANISM IN THE JAPANESE ISLANDS 199, CHAPTER 9: RETYING THE KNOTS

O autorze

SARAH MILLEDGE NELSON is John Evans Distinguished Professor at the University of Denver. Nelson is a specialist in cultural development, the origins of agriculture, and gender in the ancient world. She has done extensive fieldwork in Korea, China, and the American West.