Do shamans violate notions of humanness?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Anthropology
• Religious Studies

Background:

• Singh's theory suggests shamans' patterned deviations from humanness signify supernatural abilities.
• This perspective relies on a human/non-human animal dichotomy to define humanness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge Singh's theory on shamanic capacities.
• To propose an alternative interpretation of shamanic behavior based on human norm violations.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of existing theories on shamanism.
• Critique of the definition of humanness used in supernatural belief research.

Main Results:

• Singh's account may not accurately reflect understandings of supernatural beings.
• Shamanic actions might be unstructured violations of human norms, not patterned contrasts.

Conclusions:

• The concept of humanness used to explain shamanism needs re-evaluation.
• Shamanic behavior may be better understood as norm violations than as signals of supernatural capacity.