Imprints of Dreaming

Abstract

In the main scientific discourse, dreaming is considered to be an activity taking place within individual minds. For this reason, dreaming is sharply contrasted with the waking condition, where individual minds and bodies are presumed to interact with each other and with shared environments. Current anthropological theories of dreaming often arise from this assumed distinction: For example, several anthropologists have recognised the significance of studying dreams for grasping possible discrepancies between actual experiences of self and cultural concepts of self in certain societies.

This volume develops a novel anthropological approach to dreams by starting from the relationship between dreaming and waking life. We suggest that dreams are receptive to epistemologies embodied in persons, such as local dream theories, and to experiences derived from everyday situations and networks in which dreams occur. For this reason, many dreams are “event‐oriented” and the various papers in this volume demonstrate how dreams may help people to adjust to changing conditions, establish themselves as members of a society, to make sense of their experiences, actions and social relationships, as well as to achieve personal and political goals.

Keywords:

• Dreams
• Introduction

Notes

[1] Quotation without the Greek original and without Binswanger’s notes.

[2] Unfortunately, the authors did not have the time to transform their presentations into articles, but we thank all participants of the workshop for their valuable contributions.

[3] Although we recognize the contested status of Ahmaddiya, particularly in Pakistan, we do not feel qualified or inclined to exclude a group which believes itself to be Muslim.