Vivid ghosts

As an ethnographic researcher, between 1994 and 2013, the author dealt with the folklore of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, specifically the Kazakh and Kyrgyz ethnic groups. During these twenty years, many traditions persecuted in the Soviet era came to life again before the eyes of the researcher, while globalization and fundamentalist Islam also brought new threats to traditional spirituality. When they talked with a Kyrgyz epic storyteller about the disappearance of spirituality, the old storyteller comforted the scientist: "the connection will not be broken, because their spirit is alive". But are Kazakh and Kyrgyz mediums shamans? Where do these traditions come from? This book looks for answers to these and many other questions in a colorful, engaging and interesting way.