The Alchemy of Culture

by Richard Rudgley

Book Overview

This exploration of the use of intoxicants in society reveals how drugs have had a central role in the religious and social life of a wide range of cultures around the world, from Stone Age Europe and Classical Greece to the New World and New Guinea. Rudgley looks at the use of psychoactive substances in European witchcraft, the role of scientists, poets and artists in introducing new hallucinogens into the West, and the social use of milder stimulants...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0714127116
• ISBN13: 9780714127118
• Release Date: December 1993
• Publisher: British Museum Press
• Length: 160 Pages

Customer Reviews

The alchemy of culture

Intoxicants have played an important part in societies all over the world throughout history. Shows that intoxicants in various cultures have all had a central role in religious or social life, & that the altered states of consciousness produced by each intoxicant are shaped by cultural values. Explores the role of scientists & artists in introducing new hallucinogens, such as mescaline & LSD, into the West. Looks at the social aspects of milder stimulants, including coffee, tea, qat, betel, cola, coca & pituri, showing that their significance extends beyond the pleasure of the individual to the religious, econ., political & sexual life of communities. Illustrated