World Ayahuasca Diaspora: Reinventions and Controversies

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance that has long been associated with indigenous Amazonian shamanic practices. In this volume, leading scholars in anthropology, religious studies, and law fuse case-study ethnographies with evaluations of relevant legal and anthropological knowledge. They explore how the substance has impacted indigenous communities, new urban religiosities, ritual healing, international drug policy, religious persecution, and recreational drug milieus. This book presents classic and contemporary issues in social science and the humanities, providing rich material on the bourgeoning expansion of ayahuasca use around the globe.