Drug rites, margins and uses: social models and contextual normalcy
This article focuses on the models and statuses of neo-traditional uses of psychotropic agents. It begins by examining the contexts and functions of so-called traditional uses, emphasizing the factors which contribute to their normalization and transformation. Among these factors, the marginal and identificatory dimensions of uses are examined in their dynamic relations with the membership group and surrounding society. The example of shamanism and neo-shamanism is then studied to illustrate the shift in traditions and the difficulty in distinguishing the old from the new, the indigenous from the exogenous, when it involves legitimizing these uses on the social and cultural level as well as among their proponents. The examination reveals a wide range of ways of conceiving neo-traditional practices depending on their integration, tolerance and normative status in society. The article closes by emphasizing the importance of the roles played by intellectuals and “author-guides” in constructing models, the normalization process and the promotion of neo-traditional uses of psychotropic agents.