Music and Shamanism: The Main Methodological Approaches in Contemporary Anthropology and Musicology

Author(s):  
Галина Борисовна Сыченко

Статья посвящена рассмотрению основных подходов к изучению музыки в шаманизме, сложившихся и функционирующих в современной антропологии и музыковедении. Автор характеризует различные направления в каждом из них, приводя в качестве примеров и анализируя наиболее показательные труды. Литература (источники и исследования) подобрана таким образом, чтобы позволить читателю самостоятельно расширить библиографический список. Изложение следует хронологическому порядку и отражает логику развития научного знания в избранной области. Два наиболее ранних подхода - музыкально-этнографический и музыкально-теоретический - продолжают сохраняться и развиваться до сих пор. Относительно недавно на их основе начал формироваться комплексно-текстологический подход. Все они ориентированы на изучение самой музыки в этнографическом контексте (тексториентированные подходы). Позже появляются многочисленные труды музыкально-антропологического и культурологического направлений, довольно подробно исследующие концептуальные и функциональные аспекты шаманской и, шире, сакральной музыки в разных традициях (контексториентированные подходы). В последнее время появляется все больше работ, в которых в разной форме реализуется музыкально-психологический подход, причем спектр направлений внутри него весьма широк - от культурологических до нейрофизиологических. Большинство подобных исследований проводится за рубежом. В результате предпринятого обзора автором определены наиболее актуальные направления изучения проблематики «музыка и шаманизм». Это комплексный анализ полных вербально-музыкальных текстов шаманских камланий, исследование характера взаимосвязи звукового компонента с измененными состояниями сознания, изучение региональных традиций, а также, в перспективе, развитие методологии сравнительно-исторического исследования музыкальной составляющей шаманских традиций. This article examines the main approaches to the study of music in shamanism that have been developed and those that are current in modern anthropology and musicology. The author characterises the different areas of research covered in each approach, giving examples and analyzing representative works. The presentation of the different approaches is chronological and reflects the logic of the development of scholarly knowledge in the given field. The two earliest approaches - musical-ethnographic and musical-theoretical - continue to be used. Relatively recently, an integrative and textological approach has begun to be applied on their basis. These textually-oriented methods aim at studying the music in an ethnographic context. Subsequently context-oriented approaches have appeared, applying musical-anthropological and culturological methods that explore the conceptual and functional aspects of shamanic - and, more broadly, sacral - music in different traditions. Recently there have been an increasing number of studies that implement a music-psychological approach in various forms. The range of directions within this approach is broad, from culturological to neurophysiological; most such studies are conducted outside Russia. The author also identifies the most relevant current areas of research. These include: the comprehensive study of the verbal and musical texts of shamanic rituals; study of the nature of these texts’ relationship to altered states of consciousness; and comparative research on the most significant regional traditions. She looks forward to the development of a methodology appropriate for comparative historical research on the musical component of shamanic traditions.

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Ambler ◽  
Ellen M. Lee ◽  
Kathryn R. Klement ◽  
Tonio Loewald ◽  
Brad J. Sagarin

Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel

This chapter explores altered states of consciousness in interactive video games and virtual reality applications. First, a brief overview of advances in the sound and graphics of video games is provided, which has led to ever-more immersive capabilities within the medium. Following this, a variety of games that represent states of intoxication, drug use, and hallucinations are discussed, in order to reveal how these states are portrayed with the aid of sound and music, and for what purpose. An alternative trajectory in games is also explored, as various synaesthetic titles are reviewed, which provide high-adrenaline experiences for ravers, and simulate dreams, meditation, or psychedelic states. Through the analysis of these, and building upon the previous chapters of Inner Sound, this chapter presents a conceptual model for ‘Altered States of Consciousness Simulations’: interactive audio-visual systems that represent altered states with regards to the sensory components of the experience.


Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel

This chapter discusses altered states of consciousness in audio-visual media, such as films, psychedelic light shows, and VJ performances. First, some background theory is introduced, explaining the main categories of film sound, and what research tells us regarding the way in which sound influences the perception of visual images and vice versa. Following this background section, a tour is provided through various films that represent altered states of consciousness, including surrealist movies, ‘trance films’, and Hollywood feature films. These demonstrate a progression, where more recent movies are able to make use of digital audio and visual effects to represent the subjective experience of altered states with improved accuracy. Meanwhile, beyond the traditional confines of the cinema, ‘expanded cinema’ works such as visual music, psychedelic light shows, and VJ performances have provided increasingly sophisticated synaesthetic experiences, which are designed to transform the consciousness of their audience.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112199832
Author(s):  
Rachael L Sumner ◽  
Emme Chacko ◽  
Rebecca McMillan ◽  
Meg J Spriggs ◽  
Christie Anderson ◽  
...  

Background: Ketamine is central to one of the most rapidly growing areas of neuroscientific research into novel treatments for depression. Limited research has indicated that the psychedelic properties of ketamine may play a role in its antidepressant effects. Aim: The aim of the current study was to explore the psychedelic experiences and sustained impact of ketamine in major depressive disorder. Methods: In the current study, ketamine (0.44 mg/kg) was administered to 32 volunteers with major depressive disorder in a crossover design with the active-placebo remifentanil, in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The 11-dimension altered states of consciousness questionnaire and individual qualitative interviews were used to capture the acute psychedelic experience. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and further interviewing explored lasting effects. The second qualitative interview took place ⩾3 weeks post-ketamine. Results: Greater antidepressant response (reduction in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale at 24 h) correlated with the 11-dimension altered states of consciousness dimensions: spirituality, experience of unity, and insight. The first qualitative interview revealed that all participants experienced perceptual changes. Additional themes emerged including loss of control and emotional and mood changes. The final interview showed evidence of a psychedelic afterglow, and changes to perspective on life, people, and problems, as well as changes to how participants felt about their depression and treatments. Conclusions: The current study provides preliminary evidence for a role of the psychedelic experience and afterglow in ketamine’s antidepressant properties. Reflexive thematic analysis provided a wealth of information on participants’ experience of the study and demonstrated the psychedelic properties of ketamine are not fully captured by commonly used questionnaires.


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