Magic and witchcraft

Question 1

Intellectualism

Answer 1

Magic as a bad science
Evolutionist progressive nature - Magic –> religion –> science
Primitive thought differs from modern thought - Levy-Bruhl

Question 2

Functionalism

Answer 2

Magic not irrational, explains misfortune and uncertainty

Understand causation of why things happen, not why

Question 3

Structural functionalist

Answer 3

Magic deals with social tension

Question 4

example of functionalist explanation of magic

Answer 4

Evans-Pritchard 1973 Witchcraft, Oracles and magic among the Azande

• perfectly reasonable, not irrational
• granaries
• web of belief
• web of belief reinforces belief, when oracle doesn’t work, blamed on witchcraft

Or Malinowski - Coral gardens and their magic 1935
- very technical making of canoes and gardening therefore not irrational, rather serves a psychological purpose of explaining uncertain things

Question 5

structural functionalist case study example of approach to magic

Answer 5

Comaroff and Comaroff - the violence of abstraction

• social tensions arising from disappointment and unfulfilled promises in post-apartheid South Africa
• witch killings

OR
Jamieson - Nicaragua 2 villages and shamanism
- differing economic situations, one entering capitalist relationships and other a traditional agricultural economy
- capitalist = inequalities, jealousy, competition = sorcery = tensions
- traditional = more equal, based on working together and relationships = pass blame of misfortune onto the non-human spiritual world through shamanism