Shamanic Tourism in the Peruvian Lowlands: Critical and Ethical Considerations By Evgenia Fotiou Kent State University Abstract This article examines the phenomenon of shamanic tourism, which began in Amazo- nia in the 1980s. The author has researched the phenomenon since the early 2000s— while it was still at its infancy—in Iquitos, Peru, which is today considered the mecca of shamanic tourism. Contemporary Amazonian shamanism emerged as a response to the violent and disruptive process of the rubber boom; however, in the context of tourism, it is viewed as the healing force for bodily and mental ailments that stem from what is per- ceived as the West’s spiritual impoverishment. The article reviews the phenomenon of shamanic tourism and the challenges it presents in the 21st century, situating it within larger scholarly conversations on ethnic tourism and cultural appropriation. Finally, potential avenues for future research are presented. [Amazonia, ayahuasca, shamanic tourism, shamanism] Resumen Este artículo examina el fenómeno del turismo chamánico, que comenzó en la Ama- zonía en la década de 1980. He investigado el fenómeno desde principios de la década de 2000—cuando todavía estaba en su infancia—en Iquitos, Perú, hoy conside- rado la meca del turismo chamánico. Aunque el chamanismo amazónico contemporá- neo surgió como una respuesta al proceso violento y disruptivo del auge del caucho, en el contexto del turismo, es visto como la fuerza curativa para las dolencias corpo- rales y mentales que se derivan de lo que se percibe como el empobrecimiento espiritual del Occidente. El artículo revisa el fenómeno del turismo chamánico y los desafíos que presenta en el siglo XXI situándolo dentro de conversaciones académicas sobre turismo The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 374–396. ISSN 1935-4932, online ISSN 1935-4940. © 2020 by the American Anthropological Association. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1111/jlca.12508 374 J ournal of L atin A merican and C aribbean A nthropology