On revelations and revolutions: drinking ayahuasca among Palestinians under Israeli occupation
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Roseman, Leor
Karkabi, Nadeem
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The ritualistic use of ayahuasca can induce a feeling of unity and harmony among group members. However, such depoliticized feelings can come in the service of a destructive political status quo in which Palestinians are marginalized. Through 31 in-depth interviews of Israelis and Palestinians who drink ayahuasca together, and through participatory observations, such rituals were examined. In this setting marginalization was structurally rooted by the group’s inability to recognize Palestinian
national identity or admit the ongoing Israeli injustice toward Palestinians. Although the groups avoided politics, they still find their way into these rituals. This happened through occasional ayahuasca-induced revelatory events, in which individuals were confronted with a pressing truth related to the oppressive relations between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. Three case studies of such revelatory events are described in this paper. Affected by emotions of pain, anger, and guilt, these participants developed resistance toward the hegemonic Israeli ritual structure. This was followed by an urge to deliver an emancipatory message to the rest of the group, usually through a song. Moreover, affected subjects developed a long-lasting fidelity to the truth attained at these events. In time, this fidelity led to the expansion of ayahuasca practices to other Palestinians and the
17 politicization of the practice. The article draws on Badiou’s theory in Being and Event (1988) to analyze
18 the relations between the Israeli ritual structure, the Palestinian revelatory event, and the
19 emancipatory fidelity that followed. Badiou’s theory elucidates the egalitarian revolutionary potential,
20 which is part of the sociopsychopharmacology of psychedelics.
national identity or admit the ongoing Israeli injustice toward Palestinians. Although the groups avoided politics, they still find their way into these rituals. This happened through occasional ayahuasca-induced revelatory events, in which individuals were confronted with a pressing truth related to the oppressive relations between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. Three case studies of such revelatory events are described in this paper. Affected by emotions of pain, anger, and guilt, these participants developed resistance toward the hegemonic Israeli ritual structure. This was followed by an urge to deliver an emancipatory message to the rest of the group, usually through a song. Moreover, affected subjects developed a long-lasting fidelity to the truth attained at these events. In time, this fidelity led to the expansion of ayahuasca practices to other Palestinians and the
17 politicization of the practice. The article draws on Badiou’s theory in Being and Event (1988) to analyze
18 the relations between the Israeli ritual structure, the Palestinian revelatory event, and the
19 emancipatory fidelity that followed. Badiou’s theory elucidates the egalitarian revolutionary potential,
20 which is part of the sociopsychopharmacology of psychedelics.
Date Issued
2021-08-27
Date Acceptance
2021-08-02
Citation
Frontiers in Psychology, 2021, 12, pp.1-14
ISSN
1664-1078
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Psychology
Volume
12
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Roseman and Karkabi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718934/full
Subjects
1701 Psychology
1702 Cognitive Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
718934
Date Publish Online
2021-08-27