1. of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion
The Anthropology of
Magic, Witchcraft,
and
Religion

2. anthropology
ánthrōpos (Greek) = human
lógos (Greek) = word
= the “word about humans”, the study of humans, the organized and systemized body of knowledge about humans

3. four field approach cultural anthropology anthropological linguistics
archaeology
physical anthropology
plus: applied anthropology

4. cultural anthropology studies “culture”
learned by individual as part of a group
passed on from generation to generation
three components
material (artifacts)
behavioral (actions)
ideational (cognitive, affective elements)

5. cultural anthropology and the study of religious systems
investigates the functions of religion, both for the individual and for the group
looks at how religions change through time, and why

6. cultural anthropology and the study of religious systems
studies manifestations of “religion”
objects
activities
beliefs and emotions

7. anthropological linguistics studies the role of language in culture
historical linguistics
evolution of language
relationships between languages

8. anthropological linguistics studies the role of language in culture
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
does language mirror reality? OR
does language shape reality?

9. anthropological linguistics and the study of religious systems
how has “religious” language changed over time and why are their linguistic similarities in different cultures?

10. anthropological linguistics and the study of religious systems
relationship between conceptual constructs and reality
religious concepts as universal components of cultural systems

11. archaeology extends the study of humans into the past
based on evidence preserved in the ground (and elsewhere)
emphasizes material aspect of culture, but also looks to behavior and ideation
attempts to reconstruct the past, both as an end it self and as a way to understand the present

12. archaeology and the study of religious systems
Chauvet Cave
(31,000 – 24,000 yrs. B.P.)

13. biological anthropology considers humans as animals
how do modern humans differ? = variation
how did humans arise? = evolution
what is the relationship between biology and culture?
how does our biology shape us?
how does our culture affect our biology?

14. biological anthropology and the study of religion
views religious systems as adaptive mechanisms
studies ritual in non-human species
looks for genetic bases
of belief (“gullibility gene”)
of “trance” and other altered states
of human need to be in a group
“neurotheology”

15.  anthropology is a biocultural discipline
four field approach
cultural studies
cultural anthropology
anthropological linguistics
archaeology
biological studies
biological anthropology
 anthropology is a biocultural discipline

16. anthropology is “holistic” in its approach
views its phenomena as interrelated and integrated
views societies both in their own rights and from a comparative perspective

17. anthropology eschews ethnocentrism
(the practice of using one culture as the standard to evaluate another)
based upon cultural relativism
(cultures can only be evaluated and understood on their own terms)

18. “Religion is a fact in nature and, to be understood, must be seen as a product of the same laws of nature that determine other natural phenomena”
Anthony F.C. Wallace 1966