The Constitution and Contestation of Darhad Shaman's Power in Contemporary Mongolia

Hangartner (social anthropology, U. of Bern, Switzerland) has visited Mongolia regularly since 1996, traveling extensively by horseback and sharing the daily life of herding families. She analyzes the social processes constituting and contesting shaman's power, focusing on the contemporary Darhad shamans from the Shishget depression in the northernmost corner of Mongolia. Looking at the seances, their relationship with spirits and clients, local rumors and legends, and the shamans' travels from the rural borderland to the city, she connects the shamans' practice with local, national and international discourses, and shows how their inspirational power is produced while their social power is held at bay. The study is reworked from her PhD dissertation, apparently also at the University of Bern. Global Oriental is an imprint of Brill. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Judith Hangartner is a social anthropologist holding a senior research position at Bern University of Teacher Education, Switzerland. She is an associate researcher of the Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bern, and a member of the Swiss Ethnological Society and the Mongolia Society. Regularly visiting Mongolia since 1996, she has extensively travelled on horseback through the countryside and shared the daily life of herding families.