Wine in India and Other Substances. An Anthropology of ‘Entheogens’

The history of studies on psychotropic and psychoactive substances in general and on hallucinogens concerning the religious experience and altered states of consciousness is undoubtedly wide and intriguing. Today, it clearly emerges that the scientific perspective has too often been shaped, or even spoiled, by socio-economic trends, political backgrounds, fashions and pop culture of the times. From Prohibition to the psychedelic revolution, reported academic positioning shifts dramatically regarding these substances, which eventually were defined as entheogens in the 1970’s. This contribution traces the history of these studies with a particular focus on South Asia, from the still largely unsolved mystery of Soma/Amṛta to the first archaeological evidence of wine production in Gandhāra. Via a comparative perspective, an ethnographic study is proposed on the production of alcoholic, fermented products and traditional fermentation starters (and their related ritual uses) among the indigenous ādivāsī communities of India.