ABSTRACT
In this chapter, based on my fieldwork in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, I will concentrate on complex relations between shamans, together with other kinds of spiritual healers, with Islam and the state since the proclamation of independence of Central Asian republics. In the 1990s, governmental support for such practices, treated as part of the cultural heritage of the titular nations, was strongly connected with the efforts to legitimise the newly independent states, as well as with the dramatic situation of healthcare systems in the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The official stance towards spiritual healing has been gradually changing in the last decades along with the strengthening “anti-charlatan” and modernisation discourse. In addition, purist trends in Islam, which have become recently more influential in Central Asia, condemn shamanic healing, pilgrimages to sacred sites and other practices commonly perceived as belonging to the local, traditional Muslimness. This local version of Islam, however, being closely associated with the Kazakh and Kyrgyz culturally defined identities, maintains its strong position, which contributes to the popularity of shamans and other spiritual healers.
I will present these contemporary processes against a background of the previous encounters between shamanism and Islam and the former authorities’ attitudes towards shamanic practices. When discussing shamans’ and other spiritual healers’ position and activities, gender issues will be addressed, with the focus on the role of female specialists and their status in the community. Contrary to the dominant scholarly argument on marginality, I would imply that they often achieve relatively high social status both in their family and community.
