Ascesi, estasi e dipendenza. Contributi a un’antropologia storico-mediale, a partire da Sloterdijk.

This paper aims to inquiry the relationship between, on the one hand, the phenomenon of addiction; on the other, the use of psychotropic substances. This inquiry is carried out following Peter Sloterdijk’s (Karlsruhe, 1947) analysis concerning a medial and historical anthropology of the question of ascetic movements and production of ecstasies. This leads us, firstly, to put into question the relationship between use of drugs and issues of addiction within premodern societies. Secondly, to detect other, non-drug-related modes of producing addiction within contemporary socioeconomic system. While drug consumption was formerly an institutionalised vehicle to elicit social synthesis, nowadays it seems like addition has become viral and is encouraged and designed by our own mode of existence