Anthropology of Magic

Susan Greenwood is Visiting Senior Research Fellow, University of Sussex

This book invites students of anthropology on a journey of discovery both academic and personal. Greenwood gently persuades that 'magic' is capable of rigorous analytic treatment, while also giving them the tools to begin doing this themselves. She provides a clear, systematic and attractive approach to complex and difficult issues. Professor Geoffrey Samuel, University of Cardiff The Anthropology of Magic is an exceptional book. Written by an ethnographer who is simultaneously a scholar and a practitioner of magic, it explores academic debates about the history and nature of magic and reveals what magical practitioners say and do. The language sparkles with inner knowing and outer sophistication. Barbara Tedlock, Distinguished Professor, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Buffalo An eye-opener of a book. John Robert Colombo, JR Colombo Reviews This gentle, unassuming, yet highly provocative book could well be the crest of a wave which will wash over magical practitioners and scholars alike, and take us to a new mutually fruitful understanding. Highly reccomended. Phil Hine The Anthropology of Magic is clear, structured, sophisticated, and insightful. Greenwood provides a fresh perspective on magic, that of the magical consciousness, with a participatory approach that is so important not only to anthropology, but to any explanatory framework regarding the nature of human experience. L. J. Vollmer, Amazon An ideal book for students, who will no doubt find it accessible and thought provoking. It also has much that will surely delight and inspire academics and the public alike, and makes a worthy addition to this fascinating and exciting topic. Anthropology of Consciousness This book is an interesting read and a timely contribution to theories of magic, as it takes a fresh and contemporary approach to the much maligned topic of magic. The author shows us that magic is a human experience which deserves more thorough investigation. Lynne Hume, Department of Studies in Religion, University of Queensland, Australia, the Journal of Contemporary Religion

• Introduction SECTION ONE: EXPLAINING MAGIC 1 Mystical Mentality 2 Participation 3 Magical Connections and Associations SECTION TWO: THE EXPERIENCE OF MAGIC 4 Magical Consciousness 5 A Mythological Language of Magic SECTION THREE: PRACTICAL MAGIC 6 Webs of Beliefs 7 Magic in Everyday Life SECTION FOUR: WORKING WITH MAGIC 8 The Nature of Reality 9 'Not Only, But Also': A New Attitude to Science