Contemporary Shamanisms in Norway Religion, Entrepreneurship, and Politics

One of the fastest growing religious movements in the Western world, neo-shamanism embraces notions and techniques borrowed from various tribal peoples and adapted to the life of contemporary urban dwellers. Until the twenty-first century, the neo-shamanism found in northern Europe differed little from neo-shamanism elsewhere in the Western world. In the new millennium, a Sámi and Nordic version of neo-shamanism came into being, along with a new focus on the uniqueness of the arctic north, expressed through New Age courses and events. The Norwegian New Age scene is increasingly overrun with Sámi and Nordic shamans, symbols, and traditions. Contemporary Shamanisms in Norway examines the construction of this Sámi neo-shamanistic movement and argues that it fits into the broader ethno-political search for a Sami identity.

Drawing on ten years of ethnographic research, Trude Fonneland highlights the values important to neo-shamans' self-development and their marketing of shamanistic products and services. She explores Sáami and Nordic neo-shamans' promotion of Arctic nature, their negotiations of gender in neo-shamanism, and their ritual inventions. Focusing on contemporary shamanism in Norway and Nordic contexts, Fonneland argues that the spiritual quest in Nordic countries has developed surprising and innovative forms of spirituality that call for a reevaluation of the relationship between religion and the secular world.

Trude Fonneland is currently Professor at the Department of Culture Studies at Tromsø University Museum, UiT, the Arctic University in Tromsø. Her research interests revolve around contemporary religion in society, particularly Sami shamanism, tourism, popular culture as well as research on Sami cultures and histories.

List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments

Chapter 1
Introduction: Contemporary Shamanisms in Norway
Chapter 2
The Development of Sámi Shamanism in Contemporary Norway
Chapter 3
The Power of the Arctic Nature
Chapter 4
Gender in Sámi Shamanism:
The Past as a Premise for New Gender Constructions
Chapter 5
The festival Isogaisa: a centre for Contemporary Shamanic Practitioners in Norway
Chapter 6
Shamanistic Association: The Rise of Shamanism as an Approved Religious Community
Chapter 7
Shamanism in Secular Arenas: The Case of Esther Utsi, a Sámi Spiritual Entrepreneur in the Norwegian Tourism Industry

References