Dream Travelers: Sleep Experiences and Culture in the Western Pacific

Lohmann, R.

In dreams, part of the self seems to wander off to undertake both mundane tasks and marvellous adventures. Anthropologists have found that many peoples take this experience of dreaming at face value, assuming that their spirits literally leave the body to travel, meet other spirits, and acquire valuable knowledge - with dramatic consequence for relationships, social organization, and religions. Dream Travellers is about Melanesian, Aboriginal Australian, and Indonesian peoples who hold this assumption. Several leading anthropologists contribute theoretically and ethnographically rich chapters, showing that attention to these peoples' dream lives deeply enhances our understanding of their cultures and waking lives as well.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2003-11-13

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9781403963307

DOI: 10.1057/9781403982476

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 246