NEW AGE IDEAS IN THE CREATION OF THE IMAGE OF A HEALER IN RUSSIA. THE CASE OF ANASTASIA FROM ALTAI KRAI (Idee New Age w kreowaniu wizerunku uzdrowiciela w Rosji. Na przykladzie Anastazji z Altajskiego Kraju)

• Authors: Mrozowicka Anna
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article presents the techniques of self promotion used by healers in contemporary Russia, notably a healer Anastasia of Barnaul in Altai Krai. The authoress analyses the cultural context of this phenomenon, and particularly the messages used by healers in creating their image. These include mainly the popular New Age ideas spread by popular culture (related to unconventional medicine, ufology, cosmism, astrology, religious syncretism) and references to the Russian Messianic tradition. The terminology used by complementary medicine has its roots in occultist and parascientific nomenclature as well as in speculations about potential 'energy information fields' connected with the space research. Besides, the article also discusses the medical and legal context of the phenomenon under study, i.e. how healers are licensed by state authorities, and the relationship between representatives of official medicine and complementary medicine. A commercial aspect of the activity of healers in Russian has also been presented.

Keywords

EN

ALTAI KRAI; COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE; COSMISM; HEALERS; HOLISM; NEW AGE; RUSSIA

Discipline

• ETHNOLOGY: ETHNOLOGY

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Ludoznawcze
• Journal: Lud
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 93
• Pages: 117-140
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mrozowicka Anna

• Anna Mrozowicka, Uniwersytet Wroclawski, Katedra Etnologii i Antropologii Kulturowej, ul. Szewska 50/51, 50-139 Wroclaw, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA07076