Alex Gearin

Dr. Alex Gearin is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Social Science, The University of Queensland. His work focuses on ayahuasca shamanism, cultural anthropology, and the intersection of indigenous practices with modern health and spirituality. He holds a PhD from The University of Queensland (2015), titled An Amazonian shamanic brew in Australia: ayahuasca healing and individualism.

Research interests include the global diaspora of ayahuasca use, cultural critiques of neoshamanism, and the sensory and medical dimensions of psychedelic experiences. His work bridges fields like medical anthropology, religious studies, and sensory ethnography.

Key publications analyze ayahuasca tourism in Peru, the role of rituals in psychedelic efficacy, and the moral discourses surrounding psychedelic medicalization. His collaborative research explores topics like ayahuasca's cultural reinvention in Australia and the therapeutic significance of purging rituals.

He has contributed to edited volumes on ayahuasca's global spread and co-edits works like The World Ayahuasca Diaspora. His research emphasizes critical perspectives on how capitalist anxieties and individualistic frameworks shape contemporary ayahuasca practices.