Deviance: Substance Use as Culturally Normative

Are human beings made to do drugs? Anthropologist Rob Lemelson will take you on a journey exploring the normative use of substances in human societies around the world and over centuries. Discover the cultural histories of substances like cannabis, cocaine, heroin, psychedelics, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and learn how different peoples have used them to enhance daily function, heighten festivity, mark ritual–and even heal their bodies and minds. Plus, you can learn about early anthropological interest in psychedelics–did Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson really trip?

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Resources:

Carrier, N. and Gezon, L. (2023) The Anthropology of Drugs. New York: Routledge.

Page, J. B. and Singer, M. (2010) Comprehending Drug Use: Ethnographic Research at the Social Margins. New York: Rutgers University Press.

Hart, C., and Ksir, C. (2017) Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior. New York: McGraw Hill.

Sher, K. J. (2015) The Oxford Handbook of Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders: Volume 1. New York: Oxford Press.