Shamans (Hutton book)

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Shamans: Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination

The first edition cover of Hutton's book, with a jacket design by Ivor Claydon Graphics
Author	Ronald Hutton
Language	English
Subject	Religious history
Publisher	Hambledon and London
Publication date	2001
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	220
ISBN	978-1852853020

Shamans: Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination is a historical study of how westerners have viewed the shamans of Siberia. It was written by the English historian Ronald Hutton, then working at the University of Bristol, and first published by Hambledon and London in 2001. Prior to writing Shamans, Hutton had authored a series of books on such subjects as Early Modern Britain, pre-Christian religion, British folklore and Contemporary Paganism.

The book is divided into three sections. The first looks at how Russians and other westerners have understood Siberia and its shamanic practitioners from the Middle Ages to the present day. Specifically, it looks at how the concept of Siberia was created by the invading Russians, and how the governments of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union interacted with the many ethnic groups who lived there, and how they dealt with its indigenous shamanic beliefs. The second section highlights the difficulty with the concept of shamanism, which has never been strictly defined by scholars. He goes on to explore the various traits associated with shamanic beliefs and practices in Siberia, looking at cosmology, equipment and costume, and their ritual performances; throughout, he emphasises the great diversity among the shamans of this region. In the third section, Hutton looks at the historical development of shamanic beliefs both in Siberia and in other parts of Eurasia. Finally, he turns his attention to the current state of shamanism in Siberia and the influence of Neoshamanism.

Academic reviews published in peer-reviewed journals such as Folklore and the Journal for the Academic Study of Magic were predominantly positive. The archaeologist Neil Price however noted a problem in Hutton's discussion of shamanistic beliefs in Scandinavia.