The magical practices of rebel organizations: Introducing the Magical Acts by Groups in Civil Conflicts dataset

Abstract Magical practices, such as wearing protective amulets, engagement in other rituals, and beliefs that rebel leaders wield magical powers, play a prominent role in many civil wars. These practices help shape the behaviors of militant organizations in a variety of ways. However, despite their relevance, there is a dearth of systematically collected, cross-group data on the magical practices of rebel organizations. In response, we have constructed the Magical Acts by Groups in Civil Conflicts (MAGICC) dataset, which contains novel data on the magical practices employed by 106 African rebel organizations that were active at least at some point during the period of 1989 to 2011. To highlight the value of the data, we use them to test a hypothesis about the recruitment of child soldiers.