First of all, apologies for cross posting.

I am writing because I would like to invite you to submit a paper proposal for the panel I arranged for the next EASR conference (Religion and technologies) in Vilnius (4 to 8 September 2023), entitled Practices, tools, and ecology of magic-shamanic traditions across pre-modern and modern Monsoon Asia (PO40).

This panel will focus not only on tantric traditions but also (and particularly) on folk and indigenous traditions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Southern China and their intersection with magic and shamanism. As in the previous EASR conference the panel will be a multidisciplinary one. Studies on the woman's agency in magic-shamanic contexts are very welcomed.

- The call for papers will close on 31st January at 23:59 CET. You can submit -- if you wish -- your proposal following this link: https://www.easr2023.org/call-for-papers/

As in the previous EASR conferences I will work to publish all the papers that will be presented in the proposed panel through a special issue or a collective volume (after a process of internal review and after a double-blind review).

Please, feel free to forward this invitation and panel's details to your colleagues and students.

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Title:

Practices, tools, and ecology of magic-shamanic traditions across pre-modern and modern Monsoon Asia (PO40)

Paolo E. Rosati

This panel aims to shed light on tools, environments and ecology of magic-shamanic contexts in mainstream Indic, tantric, vernacular, and tribal religions across Monsoon Asia. Perspective authors are expected to focus on that practices often labelled as phenomena outside the mainstream religiosity.

This panel considers Monsoon Asia as a geographical area—which includes the Indian subcontinent, Tibet, mainland and maritime Southeast Asia, and Southern China—where several religious practices are shared, hence, a socio-cultural unity of the region is marked. In fact, Indic mainstream (e.g. Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism), tantric, vernacular, and tribal religions, share several socio-religious traits whose origin could be traced back to an ancient common, and complex substratum. The resilience of magic-shamanic elements is among these common traits.

This panel aims to shed light on that (material or intangible) instruments, which have been used as ritual, magic, or shamanic tools since pre-modern history of Monsoon Asia. Indeed, usually mastering magic and shamanic powers is closely related to meditation, yogic practices, severe penances, manipulation of bodily fluids, the consumption of intoxicating substances, the use of bones and skulls as talismans, the use of ashes, mantras, spells and spell-books, geometric diagrams (such as maṇḍalas and yantras), music instruments (particularly drums and other percussions), etc. Panel’s papers discuss in depth the role of these and other tools in magic-shamanic contexts and how they affected practices such as ecstatic possession, shapeshifting, trance and other altered states of consciousness, healing and/or harmful capacities, alchemy, divination (such as scapulimancy and plastromancy) in mainstream, tantric, folk, and tribal traditions across pre-modern and modern Monsoon Asia. Furthermore, this panel invites to analyze the ecology of magic-shamanic contexts in order to better understand the role of the locus sacer as a sacred space where the practitioners can cross the borders with the supra-human world or may reach the enlightenment or other transcendental states.

Perspective authors are expected to use both empirical and theoretical methodology and to engage the subject with a multidisciplinary approach, considering disciplines such as textual studies, history, art history, archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, folkloric studies, religious studies, etc.

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Please do not hesitate to contact me, if you have any question.

I wish to hear from you soon,

Paolo