Which Scholarly Field Research Witchery?

Fieldwork across diverse communities has provided numerous case studies on the corrosive impact of witchcraft-related fears, such as diminished cooperation, breakdown of mutual assistance networks, avoidance of joint projects, mistrust, and a general decline in social interactions. The most influential studies have been based on fieldwork in Africa and Melanesia, where most anthropologists see connections between witchcraft, sorcery, and social tensions. Ethnographic studies across the globe have shown that the belief in witchcraft is widely accepted, far from being confined to the distant past of Europe and New England.

The history of witchcraft is booming, with publications appearing at a furious pace. The scholarly study of the history of witchcraft began with Wilhelm Soldan’s study of witch trials in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, the history of witchcraft is sophisticated, embracing disciplines such as psychology, iconography, and archaeology. European witchcraft is beginning to emerge as an important chapter in early modern history, particularly in the context of witch trials, killings, and witchcraft-related conflicts.

Studies of witchcraft naturally bring up questions about historical and contemporary attitudes toward women. Witch-hunting and witchcraft-related crimes are found in more than seventy developing countries, and epidemics of violence against alleged witches are mainly attributed to witchcraft. Witch trials, killings, and witchcraft-related conflicts have also been studied quantitatively, both in the context of contemporary Sub-Saharan societies. This outstanding academic quality of work aims to introduce laypeople to modern witchcraft and deepen their understanding of witchcraft.

Do Wiccans believe in Jesus?

Wiccans espouse the view that Christianity and Judaism constitute a world mythical system that merits equal respect with all other religions, despite the absence of a Bible in their tenets.

What is a female witch called?

An enchantress is a supernatural figure, often referred to as a magician, sorcerer, or wizard. In fantasy, an enchantress is a female character who uses magic. The Enchantress can be seen in various works, such as Tchaikovsky’s opera, Victor Herbert’s 1911 operetta, Leigh Brackett’s 1949 short story “The Enchantress of Venus”, Sylvia Engdahl’s 1971 novel “The Enchantress from the Stars”, Han Suyin’s 1985 novel “The Enchantress of Florence”, Salman Rushdie’s 2008 novel “The Enchantress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel”, and the 1909 film “Charodeyka” directed by Pyotr Chardynin and Vasily Goncharov.

What is the scientific name for the study of magic?

Thaumaturgy, defined by Isaac Bonewits in his 1971 book Real Magic, is the “science” or “physics” of magic. It is also used in creating an RPG reference called Authentic Thaumaturgy. The practice of magic includes Behenian fixed star, Bornless Ritual, Contagion heuristic, Correspondence, Goetia, Magical thinking, Natural magic, Practical Kabbalah, Sigil, and Thelema.

Behenian fixed star is used in medieval astrology, while Bornless Ritual is a Western ceremonial magic ritual. Contagion heuristic involves the perceived transfer of negative qualities through contact. Correspondence is a theological term for the relationship between two levels of existence. Goetia is a magical practice involving evocation of spirits, while Magical thinking is belief in the connection of unrelated events.

Natural magic was a natural science during the Renaissance, while Practical Kabbalah is a branch of the Jewish mystical tradition that concerns the use of magic. Sigils, such as the Behenian fixed stars’ sigils, are magical symbols. Thelema is a new religious movement founded by Aleister Crowley.

Various sources provide further information on Thaumaturgy, including works by Harper, Dee, Greer, Walker, Hutton, Zetterberg, Godwin, Knight, Crowley, and others.

What is witchcraft in sociology?

Witchcraft is a study that examines the challenges to social order and physical well-being, highlighting the anxieties of a society. It is often studied in the context of changing social relations and periods of communal stress, examining the question of rationality under different conditions. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Is magic a science or religion?

Magic, like religion, is concerned with invisible, nonempirical forces and makes claims to efficacy. It invokes a symbolic cause-effect relationship and has an expressive function, such as reinforcing the social importance of rain and farming. The view of magic as pre-religious or nonscientific has led to subtle distinctions between magic and other practices and the recognition of subcategories of magic.

Anthropologists distinguish magic from witchcraft, defining witchcraft as the manipulation of an external power by mechanical or behavioral means to affect others and witchcraft as an inherent personal quality that allows witches to achieve the same ends.

The distinction between “black” magic and “white” magic is obscure, as both practices often use the same means and are performed by the same person. Scholars also distinguish between magic and divination, whose purpose is not to influence events but to predict or understand them. Despite these distinctions and the variety of unique roles that practitioners play in their own societies, most end up classified under the universal term magician. Often, religious figures such as priests, shamans, and prophets are identified as magicians because many of their activities include acts defined as “magical” by modern scholars.

The boundary between magic and science is permeable, as the modern scientific method evolved from forms of scientific magic such as alchemy and astrology. The evolutionary model, which draws sharp distinctions between magic, religion, and science, cannot account for the essential similarity between various phenomena.

What are people who practice witchcraft called?

Witches are individuals of either sex who practice the art of witchcraft, derived from the Indo-European root weik, which infers something concerned with magic or religion. There are several categories of witches, including Eclectic Witch, which is a compilation of time-honored, globally referenced magickal, spiritual, and occult practices that have great meaning and resonance to the individual Witch. These practices can include elements of Shamanism, Reiki, Yoga, Eastern philosophy, Buddhism, and various forms of magickal practices.

Elemental Witchery is an old form of the Craft, where early Folk Healers and Folk Magicians understood the power of the Elements—Earth, Air, Fire, and Water—and how they influenced their daily lives through everyday contact with them. Weather, seasons, and natural disasters also played a role in understanding the power of the Elements in folk healers and magicians.

What is the American school of witchcraft?

The Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was an American institution of higher learning for those with magical abilities, situated on Mount Greylock in Massachusetts and accepting students from across North America. The school was structured in a four-house system, comparable to that of Hogwarts in Scotland. In the 1920s, Newt Scamander encountered several students, including Porpentina and Queenie Goldstein, who had received their education at the aforementioned institution.

What is the anthropology of Wicca?

Wicca, a new religious movement in anthropology, is often viewed as a “positive antitype” of witchcraft, embracing the identity of witchcraft to create power structures against dominant religions. Researchers like Wouter Hanegraaff from the University of Amsterdam refer to this as a “positive antitype”. Ziker suggests that understanding the motives and mindset that shape supernatural beliefs requires analyzing various details, such as educational levels, wealth, and kinship relations. By examining the nuances of behavior and individual costs and benefits of cooperative strategies, researchers can better understand the complexities of Wicca and other new religious movements.

What is the study of paganism called?

Pagan studies is a multidisciplinary academic field that studies modern paganism, a broad array of modern religious movements influenced by or claiming to be derived from premodern European pagan beliefs. It involves various scholarly approaches, drawing from history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, folkloristics, theology, and other religious studies. The earliest academic studies of contemporary paganism were published between 1970 and 1980 by scholars like Margot Adler, Marcello Truzzi, and Tanya Luhrmann.

The discipline developed in the 1990s, with academics like Graham Harvey and Chas S. Clifton pioneering the discipline. The increasing academic interest in paganism is attributed to its increasing public visibility, as it began interacting with the interfaith movement and holding large public celebrations at sites like Stonehenge. The first academic conference on the subject was held at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1993, followed by a larger conference at the University of Lancaster in North-West England.

What is the study of witchcraft called?

Wicca is a new religious movement, primarily a form of modern Paganism, with its practitioners often embracing the term “magico-religion” due to its incorporation of magic. It is considered the largest, best known, most influential, and most academically studied form of modern Paganism. Wicca is also considered a form of nature religion, mystery religion, and a part of Western esotericism, specifically part of the esoteric current known as occultism. Academics like Wouter Hanegraaff and Tanya Luhrmann have categorised Wicca as part of the New Age, although other academics and many Wiccans dispute this categorisation.

Despite being recognized as a religion by academics, some evangelical Christians have attempted to deny it legal recognition as such. Some Wiccan practitioners eschew the term “religion” and instead focus on “spirituality” or “way of life”. Wicca has been influenced by other Pagan faiths, making it difficult for religious studies scholars to make clear-cut distinctions between them. The terms wizard and warlock are sometimes discouraged altogether, as they can represent an emphasis on wisdom and insight-based practices. In Wicca, denominations are referred to as traditions, while non-Wiccans are often termed cowans.

What is a person who studies magic called?

A magusologist is a scholar who specializes in the study of magic, while a thaumatologist is a researcher who focuses on the examination of miracles. A Grand Magus may assume a leadership role within a Magic Guild, whereas guilds dedicated to crafting typically exhibit a scientific and academic orientation. Alchemists are adept at integrating scientific principles with magical practices.