Shamanism and Islam

Thierry Zarcone is Senior Researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, based at the Ecole Practique des Hautes Etudes, Paris. He has held visiting professorships at Kyoto and Fribourg, Switzerland, and is an expert on Islamic Studies and the history of systems of thought in the Turko-Iranian region.

Here, Thierry Zarcone and Angela Hobart offer a vigorous and authoritative exploration of the link between Islam and shamanism in contemporary Muslim culture, examining how the old practice of shamanism was combined with elements of Sufism in order to adapt to wider Islamic society. Shamanism and Islam thus surveys shamanic practices in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, to show how the Muslim shaman, like his Siberian counterpart, cultivated personal relations with spirits to help individuals through healing and divination. It explores the complexities and variety of rituals, involving music, dance and, in some regions, epic and bardic poetry, demonstrating the close links between shamanism and the various arts of the Islamic world. This is the first in-depth exploration of 'Islamized shamanism', and is a valuable contribution to the field of Islamic Studies, Religion, Anthropology, and an understanding of the Middle East more widely.

The figure of the shaman has always been a prominent motif within the Islamic world, particularly in relation to the mystical domain of Sufism.

ContentsList of FiguresList of Colour FiguresAcknowledgementsContributorsIntroductionVladimir Nikolaevich Basilov (1937-1998) : A Pioneer of the Study of 'Islamised Shamanism'Part 1 : Islamised Shamanism in Central AsiaContextual Variations of Shamanic 'Healing' in South Siberia: From 'Obtaining Luck' to Relieving MisfortuneHealing in Central Asia: Syncretism and AcculturationReligious Traditions among the Kazakhs and the KirghizsMuslim Shamans in KazakhstanInterrelation to the Invisible in KirghizistanTwo Indigenous Healing Methods among Iranian TurkmenShamans in Afghanistan?Part 2: From Central Asia to the Rest of the Muslim World8. The People of the Air: Healing and Spirit Possession in South Iran9. Shamanism in Turkey: Bards, Masters of the Jinns and Healers10. The Bektashi-Alevi 'Dance of the Crane' in Turkey: A Shamanic Heritage?11. Dreaming in the practice of African Marabouts in Paris12. Healing among Traditional Practitioners of the Algerian SaharaPart 3: Islamised Shamanism and Other Religions13. Shamanism among the Gypsies of Southeastern Europe14. Spirit Healing in a Hindu/Muslim Area: Shadow Theatre in Java and BaliNotesIndex