May
3,
2022
Speaker:
Evgenia Fotiou
Independent Scholar
In recent years, there have been calls to “decolonize” the academy as well as the field of psychedelic science. This lecture will reflect on potential contributions from anthropology to these conversations. Anthropology has made significant contributions to the understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems and can offer insight on engaging meaningfully with Indigenous worldviews. In this lecture I will address the question of what psychedelic science can learn from Indigenous Knowledges and how we can get closer to including Indigenous peoples as equal partners to scientific inquiry. I do not argue for the abandonment of the scientific paradigm, rather for the abandonment of its privileged position. Decolonizing psychedelic science will allow multiple perspectives to coexist and contribute equally to our efforts going forward. In rethinking our methodologies and approaches there is much to gain both for psychedelic science but also for Indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations.
Sponsors for this event include the Holtz Center, the UW Center for Transdisciplinary Research in Psychoactive Substances, the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, and George Urdang Chair in Pharmacy History.
Attendees must register to attend this virtual presentation.
Evgenia Fotiou is a cultural anthropologist researching Indigenous Knowledge Systems, which often encompass both medical and religious knowledge. Specifically, she looks at how these systems get appropriated and reimagined as they become globalized. She has a PhD in cultural anthropology and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she completed doctoral research on Amazonian shamanism in Peru and its transformation through globalization and the formation of transnational tourist networks. She is currently writing a book on Amazonian sorcery in the context of shamanic tourism. Dr. Fotiou is an expert in medical anthropology, anthropology of religion, shamanism, Amazonian cultures, and gender and has taught courses on these subjects. Her current work urges scholars of all disciplines to reexamine assumptions about Indigenous Knowledge Systems and to engage meaningfully with non-Western epistemologies.
