Rethinking the anthropology of magic and witchcraft comes as a long-awaited breath of fresh air in the study of magic and witchcraft. By defining magical beliefs as a fundamental part of human thinking, Stevens Jr. resolves many dilemmas and issues in academic studies of magic. Early theories of magic were general and subsequent theories specific, but meanings of magic are both general in the sense that they are a part of human consciousness, and highly specific in the way they are interpreted cross-culturally. This broad perspective opens the discussion on magic to scholars in non-Westernized and post-colonial cultures, which previously have not been overly forthcoming due to Westernized rationalist assumptions. In addition, the book provides an important escape from a circularity of questioning the terms of ‘magic’ and ‘witchcraft’ by its definitions of the most appropriate meanings, thus simplifying a complex research field. Not least, the book is a helpful introduction to the study of the anthropology of religion. Structured in a clear and accessible format, it is ideal for students starting their studies of magic and witchcraft, though with an important caveat that I will come to below. The first chapters deal with basic anthropological terms and methods of enquiry, how cultural systems operate, basic cognition, and concepts such as ‘mystical’ and ‘supernatural’, as well as the ethology of religious beliefs. Two chapters are devoted to detailed explanations of both magic and witchcraft and the character of the evil witch transported into conspiracy theories. Following chapters discuss how attributes of witchcraft appear, and narratives such as how modern satanism, like the idea of the malevolent witch, is grounded on fundamental neurobiologically based fears and fantasies. Additionally, Stevens Jr. reinstates the neglected work on mystical mentality of philosopher Lucien Lévy-Bruhl. Based on the notion of participation, Lévy-Bruhl argued that mystical mentality concerned the psychological linking of one idea or symbol with another to create meanings and shape social practices. Participation was complementary to the logic of science and was experienced by all human beings as a mode of thought, but it was utilized more by small-scale communities due to it being an intrinsic part of their social structure. Anthropology as a discipline turned away from Lévy-Bruhl's insights, being more concerned with the Durkheimian collective and social beliefs rather than the mystical mentality of individual experience. By contrast, in line with Lévy-Bruhl, Stevens Jr. argues that witchcraft beliefs are rooted in human cognition and psychology and might even be instinctual and rooted in evolutionary biology. However, by focusing on beliefs rather than the experience of magic and witchcraft, Stevens Jr. is reproducing a historical division in anthropology, one that marginalizes the whole experience of magic in favour of beliefs (Magliocco, Witching Culture, 2004). More importantly and unfortunately to the great detriment of this book, in confining his research area to witchcraft defined as a malevolent and evil mode of thought, Stevens Jr. misses a hugely important opportunity to engage with Western contemporary Wicca and modern witchcraft in his analysis. This growing form of modern Pagan spirituality is based on a very different interpretation of the role of the witch, not as a negative force but as a positive reclamation of historical European cunning folk in touch with nature. There is a large literature on Pagan witchcraft and modern magical practices that discusses many of the historical and ethnographic aspects of witchcraft that Stevens Jr. covers, but, because he does not include this Pagan literature, it weakens and reduces the scope of his book, which is a major drawback. In addition, many of Stevens Jr.’s arguments about the psychology of magic and witchcraft as aspects of human consciousness have already been discussed in detail in relation to this literature (Greenwood & Goodwyn, Magical Consciousness, 2016). The inclusion of modern Western witchcraft would have greatly added to Steven Jr.’s argument that magical beliefs are truly fundamental to human thought in the manner of Lévy-Bruhl's assertion. Instead, Stevens Jr. reinvents the wheel claiming originality, as well as reproducing the traditional but now increasingly out-dated divide between anthropological studies of small-scale societies and Western cultures. Rethinking the anthropology of magic and witchcraft thus gives with one hand and takes away with the other. Nevertheless, it has the potential to change how we view magic as a fundamental part of human thought. Perhaps it should be read to open debate on the issues outlined above.
Susan Greenwood (Fri,) studied this question.
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