The Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness (SAC) is dedicated to the study of consciousness and its practical application to contemporary issues. SAC is a section of the American Anthropological Association. SAC publishes the peer-reviewed journal Anthropology of Consciousness; convenes an Annual Spring Conference that consists of individual papers, panel discussions, and experiential sessions; and hosts sessions at the Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association. We promote interdisciplinary scholarship and an open dialogue of consciousness studies. We support rigorous and empirically-based inquiries into consciousness that utilize diverse methodologies – including ethnographic, scientific, experiential, historical, and alternative ways of knowing. SAC reflects on how consciousness and human transformation can be made relevant to the challenges of our age, with the aim of a praxis to catalyze a shift toward a more just world.
Our Interests
- States of Consciousness and Consciousness Studies
- Dreams, possession, trance, dissociation, theories of mind and cognition, epistemology, methodology, evolution of consciousness, biosocial approaches, psychophysiology, psychotherapy, cultural psychology.
- Shamanic, Religious, and Spiritual Traditions
- Ethnographic studies of shamanism; modern and core shamanism; Eastern, Western, and indigenous religions; healing practices; ritual; mediumistic, mystical, and transpersonal experiences; magic and witchcraft; music and dance.
- Psychoactive Substances
- Studies of psychoactive plant use in traditional and contemporary settings, ethnopharmacology, psychopharmacology, healing, addiction and recovery.
- Philosophical, Symbolic, and Linguistic Studies
- Myth, oral traditions, language, archetypes, body and mind, comparative studies, visual anthropology.
- Anomalous Experience
- Psychic phenomenon, reincarnation, near-death experiences, mediumistic communication, divination.
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Consciousness Resources & Websites