Latin American Studies v. the Psychedelic Renaissance

The last two decades have seen a resurgence of research with psychedelic substances for medical purposes that has concurred with a proliferation of neo-shamanic or mystical practices, retreats and communities that have the consumption of psychoactive plants and preparations at the center of their rituals.  This “psychedelic renaissance,” largely popularized by Michael Pollan’s best-selling book How to Change Your Mind (now a Netflix documentary) has a significant economic and cultural impact on indigenous societies, cultural practices, and fragile environments in Latin America that needs a critical engagement from the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Alberto Ribas-Casasayas is Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.   He is the author of Luces y sombras del renacimiento psicodélico (Lights and Shadows in the Psychedelic Renaissance) and co-editor (with Amanda Petersen) of  Espectros: Ghost Hauntings and the Talking Dead in Transhispanic Narratives, and (with Ana Luengo) of Otras iluminaciones: Narrativa, cultura y psicodélicos (Other Illuminations: Narrative, Culture, and Psychedelics), which was released just this month with Almenara Press.