INTRODUCTION

Edward Tylor's monumental work (1871) established a definitive connection between animism and “spirits”. In Part V that postulation is debated, elucidated or contested. As in previous parts, contributors bring varied disciplinary perspectives to bear on distinct data sets. In addressing putative “spirits” they engage with a rich field of possibilities.

Rane Willerslev wants us to think (again) about indigenous theories about reality. He offers a rethinking of positions he previously presented (e.g. 2007) or agreed with (i.e. those of some colleagues) because he now thinks that we must go beyond a focus on the “practicalities of indigenous living” or “empirical experience” to attend to what may be called, with Gilles Deleuze (1988), the “virtual” fabric of the social world's “actual” or “empirical” manifestations. He seeks to persuade us of the necessity of defining animism as a metaphysics.

Roberte Hamayon writes briefly about the use of “shaman” in a globalized and individualized context, and about the imaginative creation of “shamanism”. However, her chief interest arises from the association between shamanic acts and the Siberian Tungus verb sama which has something to do with the gestures of animals or people impersonating animals. Such actions provide a way into considering the shared and different possession of “souls” and other similarities and differences between species (humans included). Thus, Hamayon too draws attention to the importance of “soul”, “life force” and “spirit” within animism.