David et al.,

Max Marwick's work is one of the classic anthropological studies of witchcraft.  Native sorcery and witchcraft can certainly be effective, even to the point of death -- Walter Cannon's famous article "Voodoo Death" (1940 something!) demonstrated that.  Most anthropologists who have made a serious study of magic, sorcery and witchcraft concede that it appears to work in ways that are difficult for Western science to account for outside of psychology and the nocebo effect, although the systems do have their own internal logic.

One factor that we must take into account in the study of traditional systems in which magic works is social structure.  Magic, sorcery and witchcraft are typical of small-scale societies in which people live face-to-face and are in one another's business all the time.  In such societies, magic has a social force.  It's no accident that the single factor that most impacted the decrease in witchcraft beliefs in England in the 1800s was urbanization.  When society becomes more anonymous and networks less dense (meaning that people have one-dimensional relationships with most others, rather than multi-dimensional ones), both the accusations against and the practice of sorcery and witchcraft diminish.

Best,
Sabina

Sabina Magliocco
Professor
Department of Anthropology
California State University - Northridge
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________________________________________
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Mattichak [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2013 6:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Sorcery definitely not happening.

Hi Sabina & Sam;

I totally agree that the concepts of magick and witchcraft are very different in Chinomso's mind to my own concepts of what a witch or magick is. I have been trying to explain to him that I don't use magick in the way that he describes and have also tried to explain that works like the Goetia take many years to learn to use safely and effectively.

Because I live in Australia I have run across Papua New Guineans with similar beliefs about magick, although it is less common for them to be aware of western magickal systems. I have no doubt that the magick that is used by these native witches is very effective and when I don't hear from Chinomso for a few weeks I wonder what might have become of him (we have been corresponding irregularly for about a year).

Since reading Max Marwick (I don't know where academics stand on his work but would be interested to find out) I have developed a healthy respect for native sorcery. Perhaps we don't believe in magick in the west because we have lost much of our natural capacity for it whereas the long standing traditional lives of native peoples that have little meaningful contact with the west have retained not only the belief but the ability.

I must say that I have often been tempted to visit Papua New Guinea to see if I can find out!

David

________________________________
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:30:44 -0700
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Sorcery definitely not happening.
To: [log in to unmask]

He hasn't really filled me in on too many of the details about what he thinks about witches and I haven't really pressed him about it. He is trying to learn Western magick and sees that as a potential source of power for himself.

David,

Four of my co-workers come from West Africa (1 from Burkina Faso, three from Cameroon) and the topic of magic comes up occasionally in conversation. Their take is that it's dangerous stuff and they try to not have anything to do with it. Definitely cursing and powerful. I am in the broomcloset at work and don't feel up to talking about Wicca versus witchcraft (anthropologically speaking) in conversations in the lunch room!

Interesting - I agree with Sabina that the reason why magick users are safe in the West is because people don't believe in magick here. Also, much that used to be done with magickal assistance is done more reliably through medicine and science.

Blessed Be

Sam Wagar