Speaker(s)
Description
The Bushmen of southern Africa are widely recognised as 'shamans'. Whilst this is a valuable way of describing their cosmology and healing, the terms 'shaman' and 'shamanism' are far from precise descriptions of what Bushmen actually think and do. In this talk I wish to discuss massage practices among Bushmen to provide both a more thorough introduction to Bushmen and Bushman healing, but also to highlight the contingent ways that scholars frame and write up their fieldwork experiences and interpretations. The talk will include brief film clips of a massage performance among Bushmen.
Class syllabus