week 10 Flashcards
witchcraft
It plays its part in every activity of Azande life
- In agricultural, fishing, and hunting pursuits;
- In domestic life of homesteads as well as in communal life of
district and court; - It is an important theme of mental life in which it forms the
background of a vast panorama of oracles and magic; - Its influence is plainly stamped on law and morals, etiquette and
religion; it is prominent in technology and language;
There is no niche or corner of Azande culture
into which it does not twist itself
The Azande + witchcraft
The concept of witchcraft provides the
Azande with a natural philosophy by
which the relations between people and
unfortunate events are explained and a
ready and stereotyped means of reacting
to such events.
Witches use physic power to:
Injure
Kill
Damage
Cause sickness
Sorcerers use physic power to
Injure
Kill
Damage
Cause sickness
but with rites, spells and potions
An act of witchcraft is a ___ act
psychic
what did the azande think of witches
AZANDE believe that some people are witches and can injure them in virtue of an inherent quality.
what do Oracles and witch-doctors do
Provide people with recourse against witches and sorcerers
Oracles ask for
divine guidance to determine if witchcraft or sorcerers were involved
Witch doctors can
heal the effects of witches
(rationality of witchcraft beliefs) Evans-Pritchard argues that within the Azande cultural context
witchcraft beliefs are logical and internally
consistent. He emphasizes how Azande
understand witchcraft in terms of cause
and effect, with witches believed to act
according to specific motives and
intentions
(in social function of witchcraft beliefs) Evans-Pritchard argues that
Evans-Pritchard illustrates the social
functions of witchcraft beliefs within
Azande society. Witchcraft accusations
are often used to explain personal
misfortunes or conflicts within the
community. These serve as a means of
social control, regulating behaviour and
maintaining social order.
Evans-Pritchard’s Critique of Colonialism
His work addresses misinterpretations of
indigenous belief systems. He argues
against the dismissal of witchcraft beliefs
as primitive superstition and instead
advocates for a relativistic (i.e., emic) and
contextualized understanding of Azande
ritual practices
Witchcraft and Colonial Policies in Kenya and colonial authority
Ultimately, colonial officials reviewed witchcraft
policy and admitted to the importance of local
expertise by permitting locals to assess witchcraft cases and acknowledged the confliction of British law with the attitudes of Kenyans
Witchcraft and Democracy
Ethnographic insights into the lived experiences of individuals accused of witchcraft, as well as the social and political contexts in which these
accusations occur. Considers the role of witchcraft accusations in resolving disputes, exerting social control, and expressing grievances within communities
Jeanne Favret-Saada
- fieldwork in Bocage region (western france) in 1960s/70s
- shows how witchcraft accusations and rituals are embedded in social fabric and cultural logic of community
- highlights how words, rumours, and gossip play a central role in witchcraft accusations
- challenged the conventional understanding of witchcraft as purely irrational or superstitious
- reveals that witchcraft is connected to broader social, political and economic realities in rural communities
when did the salem witch trials happen
1692 - 1693
Malefizhaus (Bamburg, Germany) was used for
or imprisonment, torture and interrogation of witches (1627). Built 1626, destroyed 1635. 1,200 witches executed during those nine years (one every three days)
In Woman, Church, and State (1893)
argued
the church was responsible for women’s oppression throughout history. Argued that witches persecuted in the Early Modern period were pagan priestesses adhering to an ancient
religion venerating a Great Goddess
Wicca (The Craft)
Neo-pagan movement that arises with first wave Feminism inthe first part of the 1900s. A founding text, “The Book of Shadows” was compiled in the 1940s
what are the 3 characteristics of Wicca (the craft)
1.) Nature-Centric Beliefs: sacredness of the Earth,
2.) Polytheistic and Pantheistic: diverse array of deities
3.) Emphasis on Personal Experience and Empowerment:
what are the main parts of each wave feminism and reclaiming witchcraft
1st wave = Wicca (The Craft)
2nd wave = B. Ehrenreich + D. English 1973 work
3rd wave = There has also been a rise in identification with spirituality outside religion, whether through what Davie (1994) calls ‘believing without belonging’ or through a
‘progressive spirituality’ (Lynch, 2007) that sees the earth as sacred and works for social change across and beyond institutional religion
Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English In 1973 published
work in which they asserted that the women persecuted had been the healers and midwives.
suppressed this to undermine
women and support the development of male
medical practitioners.
Witch hunts were a form of social control
Caliban and the Witch provides a historical and theoretical analysis of the relationship between capitalism, patriarchy, and the persecution of women, showing that gender oppression was intertwined with the development of capitalist economies
Vodou magic refers to
the magical and ritual practices associated with Haitian Vodou
Haiti brief history
- Indigenous people are the Taíno
- First successful revolution led by enslaved people in 1791 (The Haitian Revolution 1791-1804). The revolutionary Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803) successfully overthrew French owners
