Dear John,

I would strongly advise against getting involved with something as 
amazingly complex as Kabbalah. The topic is big enough already, as 
you've indicated; adding this means also adding about 10 years of 
intensive scholarly training in material that doesn't sound especially 
close to your interests.

Yours,
Chris Lehrich

Kathryn wrote:
> http://sefarad.rediris.es/english/cronologia_english.htm
>
> John, have you considered studying Kabbalah as a magical practice or
> witchcraft? The Zohar, a foundational Kabbalistic text, was written in 1286
> by Moses of Leon (in Galicia): I should think you would find plenty of
> mythology therein for a comparative study. The chronology above reminds us
> of the ongoing "inquisition" against Jews. Your definition of
> witchcraft/magic will determine what you are looking for.
>
> I second Sabina's suggestion: you will need to be passionate about your
> thesis topic in order to see it through--go for it!
>
> Kathryn LaFevers Evans
> Independent Scholar
> M.A. Literature & Writing Studies
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sabina Magliocco" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2008 4:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Suggestions for MA Research
>
>
> Hi John,
>
> First, you're far from the first student to have taken on too large a thesis
> topic -- I surmise that was written sardonically (sometimes it's hard to
> tell on email).  Secondly, it's a very good sign that you've found something
> you're passionate about, and I agree with the research librarian that it's
> wise to stick with that rather than take on something you don't care for.
> You will need that charge to get into your research and carry you through
> the process of writing and editing that a thesis involves.  At least, it
> works that way for me; perhaps other readers will differ.
>
> What is intriguing about your topic is exactly the lack of material from
> Galicia.  This could be the core question that drives your research: what
> accounts for the lack of Inquisitorial reports?  How was the region
> different from neighboring ones with a richer corpus of trial records?  Does
> the lack reflect a different social structure, one in which beliefs were
> perhaps more centered around luck or fate or the evil eye than around
> witchcraft (cf., for example, the contrast between the wealth of witchcraft
> accusations in Scotland, and the comparable dearth in Ireland from the 16th
> and 17th centuries)? Was there some other feature that accounts for this
> lack?
>
> For inspiration, I suggest you look at what the anthropologist Mary Douglas
> has written on witchcraft, including her book _Natural Symbols_, in which
> she discusses the kind of social structure characteristic of societies in
> which witchcraft accusations flourish.  Once you settle on a key research
> question, it should help you narrow the focus of your inquiry.
>
> Best,
> Sabina
>
> Sabina Magliocco
> Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> California State University - Northridge
> 18111 Nordhoff St.
> Northridge, CA  91330-8244
> ________________________________________
> From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic
> [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Bishop
> [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2008 4:26 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Suggestions for MA Research
>
> Hello All:
>
> Hope the new year finds you all well.  I'm writing seeking a bit of advice.
> I've done some preliminary research on witchcraft in Galicia in Northern
> Spain for a proposed Masters in Religious Studies, and I've fallen in love
> with the topic.  I've submitted my first draft of a proposal for my thesis,
> and am probably the first student to have undertaken WAY too much.  I need
> to narrow the topic considerably, but I'm having trouble finding resources
> in one particular area of research.  I could do a historical study, but then
> I risk writing a history paper, rather than one in Religious Studies.  Am I
> better off leaving the topic for now, (and pursuing it out of love later)...
> or trying to limit the research so greatly that it's no longer particularly
> interesting?
>
> The problem I'm hitting is that there seems to be loads of materials out
> there on witch hunts/Inquisition/trials, but the Inquisition was rather
> quiet in Galicia.  There is a wonderful thread about Pricillian and
> Gnosticism... but I'm not finding enough written there either.  I could
> study current religious practices regarding witchcraft in the region, but
> I'm not sure I can go there for the length of time needed to do the kind of
> ethnographic study I would need to do (I'm in New Zealand).
>
> I'm most interested in the angle of comparative mythology... or the
> dominance of a diabolical style of witchcraft that seems dominant.  But the
> lack of resources means that any research materials I can find will require
> me to make huge rational leaps in comparing the traditions of places I've
> not been.
>
> The librarian in me says that I should stick to my guns, and find the
> information that will fascinate me... but the rest of me says; "Hell, you've
> got to finish this in two years!"  I mean, I would like to do a good job,
> after all.
>
> Any sage wisdom would be appreciated.
>
> Cheers,
> John
>   

-- 
Christopher I. Lehrich
Assistant Professor of Religion
Director of Graduate Studies; Associate Director, Division of Religious and Theological Studies
Boston University