Shamanic Healing in a Globalized World: Reflections from the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract (English)

Ritual healing is a very important part of the cultural life of many simple societies. It is based on shared beliefs, values, and practices that shape how communities understand health, illness, and their relationship with the natural and supernatural worlds. These healing methods are meaningful within their own cultural and social context. Anthropologists have documented these healing rituals across the world and stressed on the universal features of healing and cultural particularities.
One of the most recognized forms of ritual healing is performed by shamans. Shamans act as mediators between the human world and the supernatural world. They have a crucial role in maintaining the health and social balance of their communities by treating illness and misfortune through spiritual means. However, the scholars from the modern scientific world always raised doubt about the efficacy of ritual healing. Moreover, in today’s world, due to globalization, new economic opportunities and growth of tourism, members of the traditional societies are encountering the outside world. As a result, they are negotiating the role and relevance of their healing traditions in a rapidly changing context. This raises another question: How to understand the ritual healing performed by shamans in modern context when the healing rituals are open to everyone and sometimes taken out of their original cultural context, the efficacy becomes the big question.
Against this backdrop, the proposed paper will try to address these questions of by examining the ritual healing practices of shamans in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, India. It will explore how ritual healing, as practiced by shamans, is perceived by both the shamans themselves and members of their community in the face of modern challenges. This empirical study will not only contribute to a deeper understanding of how ritual healing how ritual healing is sustained in a globalized world, and why people continue to seek out shamans despite the presence of modern medical alternatives.