The Figure of the Shaman in Contemporary British Poetry.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-201).

Acknowledgements; abstract; introduction; chapter one -- an unashamed shaman''s journey ; chapter two -- shamans, bards and prophets; chapter three -- the technicians of the sacred; chapter four -- the technicians of the body; conclusion; bibliography

This genealogical study focuses on the work of five contemporary British poets in order to locate them in a counter cultural tradition that is informed by strategic responses to 'state terrorism.' It identifies some historical moments of ruptures, such as the persecution of the Celtic druids by the Romans, the killing of the Welsh bards by Edward I, the appropriation of bardic materials by Romantic poets writing in a post-French Revolution era, and the beatnik response to a post-World War bip.