The ISARS brings together global researchers from different disciplines who share a strong commitment to the study of shamanism. Photo Credit: GettyImages/adogslife
Sarawak's Kuching will be hosting Malaysia's first-ever international
conference on shamanism from August 25 to 28 at the Borneo Cultures
Museum, part of the Sarawak Museum complex.
The Sarawak Museum Department has won the bid to host the third
edition of the conference for the International Society of Academic
Research on Shamanism (ISARS) in Kuching, Malaysia's minister of
tourism, creative industry and performing arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim
Rahman said.
"The conference will make history for being the first conference on
shaminism to be held in Malaysia," he said. "The objective of the
conference is to increase community awareness, especially on the legal
impact of preserving the traditional knowledge and intangible cultural
heritage of Sarawak on traditional arts of healing from extinction due
to social and religious changes."
With the theme "Shamanism in Crisis: Seeking Human Identity", the
conference is expected to attract international and national
researchers, academicians, museums employees and local communities who
are passionate about this traditional cultural heritage to jointly
explore progress in issues and challenges related to shamanism, such as
globalisation, environmental/ecological degradation, cultural resilience
and spiritual wisdom inherent in indigenous tribes.