The International Society for Academic Research on Shamanism (ISARS) aims at continuing the work of the International Society for Shamanistic Research (ISSR) founded in 1988. It counts more than 300 members from fifteen different countries.

The main aim of the society is to promote the academic multidisciplinary research of the religious therapeutic systems the world over often described as shamanism, a generic, problematic term. ISARS is dedicated to encouraging and supporting not only the studies of well-known scholars, but also the work of junior academics and researchers interested in that specific field.

The Executive Board’s decision to renew the society underscores its academic orientation and highlights the urgency to study shamanism in relation to the most discussed issues of the last decades such as globalization, environmental/ecological degradation, cultural resilience and human rights.