In the Laboratory of the Crisis of Presence. Shamanism as a Problematic Analytical Category in Ernesto De Martino
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/cra.v24i1.86729Keywords:
shamanism, Ernesto de Martino, Raffaele Pettazzoni, Mircea Eliade, Sergei Shirokogoroff, Mircea Eliade.Abstract
The aim of this article is to identify the definition of shamanism as an analytical
category, which has been problematic in the Italian school of history of religions. In particular,
the concept of shamanism; played a fundamental role in Ernesto de Martino’s thought, as he used it in his reflection on magic. After briefly investigating Raffaele Pettazzoni’s approaches,
the article will focus on demartinian proposal to identify debts and distances, in particular with
the works of Sergei Shirokogoroff and Mircea Eliade. Finally, it will outline a historical-
religious proposal for a new definition of shamanism.
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