Psychedelic substances and contemporary culture in SloveniaŠestan, Vjera (Avtor) Pužar, Aljoša (Mentor) psychedelic substancestraditional ritescontemporary popular cultureethnographyautoethnographyIn this paper I provide a detailed account of the history and present use of psychedelic substances on a global scale as well as locally in Slovenia. As part of the discourse of psychedelic substances I address plants, mushrooms and animals as well as synthetic substances. The culture of utilization of these substances is described and analysed using available multidisciplinary literature and is based on ethnographic and autoethnographic material. Additionally, this research offers an analysis of man’s amplified interest in researching and utilizing psychedelic substances, which is itself experiencing its so-called third renaissance. The objective of this paper is to affirm the relevance, significance and purpose of psychedelic substances in medicinal research, traditional rites and everyday Slovenian culture in the past and present. While providing detailed information about the culture of psychedelic substances use and shedding light on the beneficial sides of taking them, this paper also aims to open the debate about negative aspects of their (ab)use from a global perspective. One of the issues that are highlighted in this work is the need for preserving the ecological and social systems of Indigenous Americans. As one of the resolutions, with this paper I propose a possibility and motivation for researching flora and fauna which contain psychedelic substances and awakening the knowledge of local traditions in Slovenia and in the Balkans.V. Šestan20242024-09-13 07:31:41Diplomsko delo/naloga161657sl