Jacqueline Anderson

Research degree: PhD
Start date: 2020
School: School of Law and Policing
Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCID): 0000-0002-3703-9465

Project

Dancing with Ancestors: A comparison of ancient and modern-day trance practices in psychedelic trance (PhD)

Psychedelic Trance music culture is a growing global culture that, unlike many electronic dance music cultures, aligns itself with serious and complex belief systems, customs, practices and principles that are often defined as re-connecting with ancestral practices long forgotten, the re-enactment of rituals and ceremonies that promote trance through dance, music, sound, and environment to initiate altered states of consciousness potentially leading to personal and group transformation and healing benefits. The comparison of evidence from the prehistoric archaeological record to modern day psyculture may elicit a better understanding of both cultures.

This research will investigate the claim that psyculture is re-enacting ancient rituals, ceremonies, and connectivity to ancestors with similar practices and principles. It will compare archaeological and anthropological evidence with psyculture practices and beliefs through a comparison of trance dance from the prehistoric period to psychedelic trance culture practice and principles as performed today.

The approach taken is a relativist ontology with an emic, qualitative, interpretive epistemology because of a desire to gain an in-depth to understand participants interpretations of psyculture. The methods were a survey and interviews to ascertain the opinions of psyculture participants, and to find what ethnographic fieldwork reveals with use of data thematic analysis.

The preliminary findings demonstrate the importance of belonging, community, contribution, and participation that continues outside the liminal, temporary spaces into the everyday spheres of participants. It has revealed missing information about ancient practices trance centred around dance, sound, music, embodiment and sensory experiences, landscape and journeys, and the benefits of participation and contribution from a dancer’s perspective.

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We are keen to promote partnership; collaboration and employment opportunities for our students from day one.

Collaboration can take many forms – from co-developing the research a postgraduate student is undertaking for their PhD, to engaging a PhD student on a specific project that does not link directly to their PhD but uses their skills to address an issue.

If you are interested in engaging please get in touch:

Research supervisor: Dr Rick Peterson
PhD student contact: Jacqueline Anderson

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