Tragic Spirits : Shamanism, Memory, and Gender in Contemporary Mongolia /
Buyandelger, Manduhai, author.
The collapse of socialism at the end of the twentieth century brought devastating changes to Mongolia. Economic shock therapy-an immediate liberalization of trade and privatization of publicly owned assets-quickly led to impoverishment, especially in rural parts of the country, where Tragic Spirits takes place. Following the travels of the nomadic Buryats, Manduhai Buyandelger tells a story not only of economic devastation but also a remarkable Buryat response to it-the revival of shamanic practices after decades of socialist suppression. Attributing their current misfortunes to returning ancestral spirits who are vengeful over being abandoned under socialism, the Buryats are now at once trying to appease their ancestors and recover the history of their people through shamanic practice. Thoroughly documenting this process, Buyandelger situates it as part of a global phenomenon, comparing the rise of shamanism in liberalized Mongolia to its similar rise in Africa and Indonesia. In doing so, she offers a sophisticated analysis of the way economics, politics, gender, and other factors influence the spirit world and the crucial workings of cultural memory.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

The collapse of socialism at the end of the twentieth century brought devastating changes to Mongolia. Economic shock therapy-an immediate liberalization of trade and privatization of publicly owned assets-quickly led to impoverishment, especially in rural parts of the country, where Tragic Spirits takes place. Following the travels of the nomadic Buryats, Manduhai Buyandelger tells a story not only of economic devastation but also a remarkable Buryat response to it-the revival of shamanic practices after decades of socialist suppression. Attributing their current misfortunes to returning ancestral spirits who are vengeful over being abandoned under socialism, the Buryats are now at once trying to appease their ancestors and recover the history of their people through shamanic practice. Thoroughly documenting this process, Buyandelger situates it as part of a global phenomenon, comparing the rise of shamanism in liberalized Mongolia to its similar rise in Africa and Indonesia. In doing so, she offers a sophisticated analysis of the way economics, politics, gender, and other factors influence the spirit world and the crucial workings of cultural memory.
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)
Shamanism
Shamanism
Buriats
Buriats
Neoliberalism
Communism and religion
Communism and religion