1st Edition

The Anthropology of Magic

By Susan Greenwood Copyright 2009
172 Pages
by Routledge

172 Pages
by Routledge

172 Pages
by Routledge

Magic is arguably the least understood subject in anthropology today. Exotic and fascinating, it offers us a glimpse into another world but it also threatens to undermine the foundations of anthropology due to its supposed irrational and non-scientific nature. Magic has thus often been 'explained away' by social or psychological reduction. The Anthropology of Magic redresses the balance and brings... Read more
Introduction SECTION ONE: EXPLAINING MAGIC 1 Mystical Mentality 2 Participation 3 Magical Connections and Associations SECTION TWO: THE EXPERIENCE OF MAGIC 4 Magical Consciousness 5 A Mythological Language of Magic SECTION THREE: PRACTICAL MAGIC 6 Webs of Beliefs 7 Magic in Everyday Life SECTION FOUR: WORKING WITH MAGIC 8 The Nature of Reality 9 'Not Only, But Also': A New Attitude to Science

Biography

Susan Greenwood is Visiting Senior Research Fellow, University of Sussex

An interesting read and a timely contribution to theories of magic, as it takes a fresh and contemporary approach to the much maligned topic of magic. The author shows us that magic is a human experience which deserves more thorough investigation. - Journal of Contemporary Religion