Sacred Plants in the Americas

The western campus of the Center for Research and Post Graduate Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS in Spanish), and the anthropologist Beatriz Labate, invite researchers and those interested in topics related to traditional, therapeutic use, history, politics and the legality of psychoactive plants, to submit abstracts with proposals to participate in the upcoming international conference Sacred Plants in the Americas, to be held on February 23, 24 and 25, 2018, in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico.

Sacred Plants in the Americas has the primary purpose of exploring and discussing aspects related to the diversity of uses of psychoactive plants throughout history and in different geographical areas, as well as their current use, both in traditional and none-traditional contexts, scientific research, empirical experiences, cultural manifestations and the ways in which governments have attempted to control these practices.

The issues of drug policy reform are intersectional, particularly in Latin American. The public, political and academic discussions in Mexico over the last two years have primarily focused on the regulation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Recently a federal reform was approved, so it is pertinent to provide spaces for discussion on other topics, such as those concerning sacred plants and their increasing diversity of uses.

The content of the Congress will be divided into: history and anthropology of shamanic and religious uses of sacred plants, traditional medicine, urban and contemporary uses, science on the therapeutic uses of plants and their psychoactive compounds, as well as the politics surrounding them.

Those interested in participating are invited to submit abstracts on the following topics:

• History and ethnography of the traditional use of sacred plants.

• History and ethnography of urban and contemporary uses of sacred plants.

• Biomedical and psychological studies related to the therapeutic use of psychoactive plants and compounds.

• Analysis of the consequences of policies associated with sacred plant use and reform proposals.

• Sustainability and conservation of sacred plants and their relationship with physical spaces.

• Political economy of the use of sacred plants (production, transit, commercialization, tourism), and

• Gender and identity issues related to the use of sacred plants.

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