Daniel G.

September 20, 2018

SOC 765
Dr. Christian Vaccaro

Qualitative Study Summary

Article: Holman, C. (2010). Spirituality for Sale. An analysis of Ayahuasca Tourism. Retrieved
September 20, 2018, from
https://www.scribd.com/document/82212567/Spirituality-for-Sale-An-Analysis-of-Ayahuasca-To
urism

Spirituality for Sale: An Analysis of Ayahuasca Tourism was a dissertation by Christine

Holman in 2010 that used a mixed-methods approach. According to the author, their research
used a critical cultural, postcolonial, and ethnographic framework and critical discourse analysis,
along with a semiotic visual analysis, and ethnographic interviews. The author asks a total of
three ‘interconnected research questions, but the last one pertain specifically to qualitative study
by asking, “What is the social, cultural and economic impact of ayahuasca tourism in the
Peruvian Amazon as perceived by the community residents (in which the tours are locations, the
tour brokers, the shamans, and the tourists themselves? How do these groups differ in their
perspectives/views?
This article was very interesting to me for various reasons. For one, because I personally
would like to partake in an ayahuasca ritual one day, and two, because I enjoy learning about
native shamanism and sacred healing practices within other cultures. According to the author,
this study was unique in its nature because it examined all of the actors involved in ayahuasca
tourism- from analyzing the websites which offer this experience, to the individual shamans who
carry out the practice, the consumers who pay for the services, and the community residents who
reside in the area.
To complete the qualitative portion of their dissertation, the author conducted 30
interviews with many tourists. The interviews ranged from more formal sit-down,
semi-structured style, to more spontaneous, casual conversations. Additional data was collected
by observing two different asuka ceremonies in two different settings. The second half the
qualitative study vies the industry through ‘Peruvian eyes’ and categorizes the Shamans into two
different types- which were those who owned their own lodges and charged little to nothing, and
those who contracted with lodges and had varying rates to tourists and locals.
 The entire dissertation was just over 300 pages and I read through almost half the entire
study because it intrigued me so much. Throughout the article, the author expounded on their
writing in a short subsection at the bottom of the page. They often used preferred language or
even slang that was common to their experience such as the author being called a “Gringo”
because they were a foreigner and further mentioning that it was not an offensive term. Other
examples include how the shamans insisted that the author use their full names and thus that is
how he wrote them throughout the body of literature. Lastly, one of the most interesting things I
thought about throughout this article is how it documents the explosive growth in tourism over
the past few decades, and the reason for such increased demand can of course be attributed to the
internet and its wealth of information; however, a primary factor for the discovery of ayahuasca
was from numerous qualitative researchers throughout history that have documented their
experiences. The author cites Terence McKenna’s artice True Hallucinations (1994) as one of the
first studies punished which garnered a fair amount of press and attention among both the
academic and alternative audiences. Next, there was several others such as Alan Shoemaker who
created the first annual “shamanism COnference”. Which still continues today with growing
popularity.
Furthermore, it was evident that Qualitative researchers are similar to journalists in the
way the author chose to travel to the location where the retreat was held. Noting that most, if not
all of the tourists who journey to this particular spot do so on the company’s private speedboat,
which is a four hour trip. Instead, the author opted to take the public “collectivo” as the only
“gringo” on the large, two-story open-air boat. They mentioned how their presence was easily
noticed as she obviously stood out, but also documented the experience of conversing with a
local woman and how they shared a special moment talking about their families.
Key findings of the article from the qualitative section include uncovering the motives
and types of ayahuasca tourists. Among the studies on ayahuasca tourism, only a handful include
an investigation of tourist motivation. The author noted differences and similarities throughout;
however, the three main reasons that people pursue ayahuasca abroad include: hedonistic/drug
seeking, health/healing, and self exploration/spiritual growth.