Drugs in Culture

Using comparative material, this course will explore the social relationships and the cultural forms which drugs mediate. Ethnographic and historical material from Western and indigenous societies will be used to explore the particular social and cultural meanings of drug use. Attention will be given to the social history of drugs in the West and in Asia; the social and cultural rules governing drug use; drugs and social control; and the use of hallucinogens in relationship to shamanism, divination and healing in indigenous societies. The course will explore the cultural meanings attached to altered states of consciousness. The focus will not be so much on the scientific bio-medical aspects of drugs but on people's understandings of biology, embodiment and consciousness. Specific topics covered will vary from year to year. However, it is envisaged that possible topics will include: drugs and the exploration of alternative realities; drugs and identity; drugs and subcultures; the social distribution and control of drugs; the social and cultural effects of drugs; drugs and the financing of criminal activities and political conflicts; and the social use of alcohol in the West.