Shamanism and the Origins of States: Spirit, Power, and Gender in East Asia

by SarahMilledgeNelson (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  2008

  $39.19

  Using a mixture of historical documents, mythology, archaeological data, and ethnographic studies of contemporary shamans, this book builds a case for shamans being the driving force behind the blossoming of complex societies. It tells how shamans in East Asia are generally women, who used their access to the spirit world to take leadership roles.