LibGuides: ANTH 327/REL 327 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: Books

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Index to all dissertations, theses and published material based on theses cataloged by OCLC member libraries, including Wichita State University.

Selected Books

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question by Robert L. Winzeler
Call Number: BL256 .W56 2012
ISBN: 9780759121898
Publication Date: 2012-04-12
Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they have interpreted or explained it since the late nineteenth century. Robert Winzeler s balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper-division courses."
Anthropology of Magic by Susan Greenwood
Call Number: BF1621 .G736 2009
ISBN: 9781845206703
Publication Date: 2009-12-15
Magic is arguably the least understood subject in anthropology today. Exotic and fascinating, it offers us a glimpse into another world but it also threatens to undermine the foundations of anthropology due to its supposed irrational and non-scientific nature. Magic has thus often been 'explained away' by social or psychological reduction. "The Anthropology of Magic" redresses the balance and brings magic, as an aspect of consciousness, into focus through the use of classic texts and cutting-edge research. Taking a new approach to some perennial topics in anthropology—such as shamanism, mythology, witchcraft, and healing—the book raises crucial theoretical and methodological issues to provide the reader with an engaging and critical understanding of the dynamics of magic.
The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft by Rebecca Stein; Philip L. Stein
Call Number: GN470 .S73 2017 Textbook Collection in Reserve
ISBN: 9781138692527
Publication Date: 2017-05-08
This concise and accessible textbook introduces students to the anthropological study of religion. Stein and Stein examine religious expression from a cross-cultural perspective and expose students to the varying complexity of world religions. The chapters incorporate key theoretical concepts and a rich range of ethnographic material. The fourth edition of The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft offers: * increased coverage of new religious movements, fundamentalism, and religion and conflict/violence; * fresh case study material with examples drawn from around the globe; * further resources via a comprehensive companion website. This is an essential guide for students encountering anthropology of religion for the first time.
Do Funerals Matter?: The Purposes and Practices of Death Rituals in Global Perspective by William G. Hoy
Call Number: GN486 H68 2013
ISBN: 9780415662048
Publication Date: 2013-03-08
Do Funerals Matter? is a creative interweaving of historical, sociocultural, and research-based perspectives on death rituals, drawing from myriad sources to create a picture of what death rituals have been; and where, especially in the Western world, they are going. Research-based approach to the ways in which different cultural groups memorialize their dead. They will also find clear clinical and practical applications in the exploration of the five ritual anchors of death-related ceremonial practice and help for professionals counseling the bereaved surrounding funerals. Based on nearly three decades of research and teaching on funeral rites.
Huichol Women, Weavers, and Shamans by Stacy B. Schaefer
ISBN: 9780826355829
Publication Date: 2015
For centuries the Huichol (Wixárika) Indian women of Jalisco, Mexico, have been weaving textiles on backstrap looms. This West Mexican tradition has been passed down from mothers to daughters since pre-Columbian times. Weaving is a part of each woman’s identity—allowing them to express their ancient religious beliefs as well as to reflect the personal transformations they have undergone throughout their lives.
An Introduction to Shamanism by Thomas A. DuBois
Call Number: BF1611 .D83 2009
ISBN: 9780521873536
Publication Date: 2009-05-14
This Introduction surveys research on the topic of shamanism around the world, detailing the archaeology and earliest development of shamanic traditions as well as their scientific 'discovery' in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth century colonization in Siberia, the Americas, and Asia. It explores the beliefs and rituals typical of shamanic traditions, as well as the roles of shamans within their communities.
Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: a reader in the anthropology of religion by Pamela Moro; James Myers
Call Number: BL50 .M26 2013
ISBN: 9780078034947
Publication Date: 2012-09-27
Magic Witchcraft and Religion: A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion takes an anthropological approach to the study of religious beliefs and practices, both strange and familiar. The engaging articles on all key issues related to the anthropology of religion grab the attention of students, while giving them an excellent foundation in contemporary ideas and approaches in the field. The multiple authors included in each chapter represent a range of interests, geographic foci, and ways of looking at each subject. Features of the ninth edition include new study questions and articles, as well as updated discussions on religion, illness, healing, and death.
Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld: an anthropology by Susan Greenwood; Judith Attfield
Call Number: BF1622.G7 G74 2000
ISBN: 1859734456
Publication Date: 2000-06-01
Anthropology's long and complex relationship to magic has been strongly influenced by western science and notions of rationality. This book takes a refreshing new look at modern magic as practised by contemporary Pagans in Britain. It focuses on what Pagans see as the essence of magic - a communication with an otherworldly reality. Examining issues of identity, gender and morality, the author argues that the otherworld forms a central defining characteristic of magical practice. Integrating an experiential ethnographic approach with an analysis of magic, this book asks penetrating questions about the nature of otherworldly knowledge and argues that our scientific frameworks need re-envisioning. It is unique in providing an insider's view of how magic is practised in contemporary western culture.
Peyote: History, Tradition, Politics, and Conservation by Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Editor); Clancy Cavnar (Editor)
ISBN: 9781440834011
Publication Date: 2016-01-18
This book explains the role that peyote--a hallucinogenic cactus--plays in the religious and spiritual fulfillment of certain peoples in the United States and Mexico. Examines pressing issues concerning the regulation and conservation of peyote as well as issues of indigenous and religious rights. Identifies current peyote protective laws in Mexico and Canada.
Religion, Anthropology, and Cognitive Science by Harvey Whitehouse; James Laidlaw
Call Number: BL256 .R584 2007
ISBN: 9781594601071
Publication Date: 2007-11-01
This book examines longstanding debates in the anthropology of religion concerning the connections between ritual and meaning, belief, politics, emotion, development, and gender. But it examines these old topics from a radically new perspective: that of the cognitive science of religion. As such the volume identifies potential solutions to established problems but it also sets out a program for future research in the field. The volume includes a substantial introduction from Harvey Whitehouse and James Laidlaw who highlight the connections between key issues in the history of religious anthropology and the latest findings of scientific psychology. This volume, they argue, presents us with potential solutions to old problems but also with a series of new and exciting challenges.
Religion: An Anthropological perspective by H. Sidky
ISBN: 1453914862
Publication Date: 2015-07-20
Religion: An Anthropological Perspective provides a critical view of religion focusing upon important but overlooked topics such as religion, cognition, and prehistory; science, rationality, and religion; altered states of consciousness, entheogens and religious experience; religion and the paranormal; magic and divination; religion and ecology; fundamentalism; and religion and violence. In addition, this book offers a unique and concise coverage of traditional topics of the anthropology of religion such as shamanism and witchcraft (past and present), ritual, myth, religious symbols, and revitalization movements. A vast range of findings from ethnography, ethnology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, prehistory, history, and cognitive science are brought to bear on the subject. Written in clear jargon-free prose, this book provides an accessible and comprehensive yet critical view of the anthropology of religion both for graduate and undergraduate students and general audiences.
The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies by John Morreall; Tamara Sonn
ISBN: 144434370X
Publication Date: 2011-09-07
This complete overview of religious studies provides students with the essential knowledge and tools they need to explore and understand the nature of religion. Covers the early development of religion, with overviews of major and minor religions from Islam to Scientology Considers recent developments including secularization; the relationship between religion and science; and scientific studies on religion, health, and mystical experience Uses humor throughout, allowing students to remain open-minded to the subject Explains what it means to study religion academically, and considers the impact of the study of religion on religion itself Contains numerous student-friendly features including photos, maps, time lines, side bars, historical profiles, and population distribution figures Provides classroom users with a lively website,www.wiley.com/go/religiontoolkit, including questions, quizzes, extra material, and helpful primary and secondary sources
Shamans/Neo-Shamans: Ecstasy, Alternative Archaeologies, and Contemporary Pagans by Robert J. Wallis
Call Number: BF1611 W33 2003
ISBN: 0415302021
Publication Date: 2003-04-18
In popular culture, such diverse characters as occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison, and performance artist Joseph Beuys have been called shamans. In anthropology, on the other hand, shamanism has associations with sorcery, witchcraft and healing, and archaeologists have suggested the meaning of prehistoric cave art lies with shamans and altered consciousness. Robert J. Wallis explores the interface between 'new' and prehistoric shamans. The book draws on interviews with a variety of practitioners, particularly contemporary pagans in Britain and north America. Wallis looks at historical and archaeological sources to explore contemporary pagan engagements with prehistoric sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and discusses the controversial use by neo-Shamans of indigenous (particularly native American) shamanism.
The Teachings of Don Juan: a Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda
Call Number: F1221 .Y3 C37356 2008
ISBN: 9780520256460
Publication Date: 2008-05-09
Forty years ago the University of California Press published an unusual manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan initiated a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda's now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands. Whether read as ethnographic fact or creative fiction, it is the story of a remarkable journey that has left an indelible impression on the life of more than a million readers around the world.
Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip by Pamela J. Stewart; Andrew Strathern
Call Number: GN475.5 .S84 2004
ISBN: 0521808685
Publication Date: 2003-11-24
Combines two classic topics in social anthropology in a new synthesis: the study of witchcraft and sorcery and the study of rumours and gossip.
Witches, Westerners, and HIV: AIDS & cultures of blame in Africa by Alexander Rödlach
Call Number: GN296.5.Z55 R63 2006
ISBN: 1598740334
Publication Date: 2006-10-15
A witch's curse, an imperialist conspiracy, a racist plot—HIV/AIDS is a catastrophic health crisis with complex cultural dimensions. From small villages to the international system, explanations of where it comes from, who gets it, and who dies are tied to political agendas, religious beliefs, and the psychology of devastating grief. Frequently these explanations conflict with science and clash with prevention and treatment programs. In Witches, Westerners, and HIV Alexander Rödlach draws on a decade of research and work in Zimbabwe to compare beliefs about witchcraft and conspiracy theories surrounding HIV/AIDS in Africa. He shows how both types of beliefs are part of a process of blaming others for AIDS, a process that occurs around the globe but takes on local, culturally specific forms. He also demonstrates the impact of these beliefs on public health and advocacy programs, arguing that cultural misunderstandings contribute to the failure of many well-intentioned efforts. This insightful book provides a cultural perspective essential for everyone interested in AIDS and cross-cultural health issues.
Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History by Wolfgang Behringer
Call Number: GN475.5 B45 2004
ISBN: 074562717X
Publication Date: 2004-09-03
In this major new book, Wolfgang Behringer surveys the phenomenon of witchcraft past and present. Drawing on the latest historical and anthropological findings, Behringer sheds new light on the history of European witchcraft, while demonstrating that witch-hunts are not simply part of the European past.

Finding Ethnographies in the Online Catalog

To find a book-length ethnography on a particular ethnic group:

1. Go to the Online Catalog. Use the Keyword Anywhere search for single terms or phrases and for combining terms with "and". Use the Keyword Anywhere (and, or not) search when combining terms with "or".

2. If possible, identify the name for the ethnic group used as a subject heading in the Online Catalog.

!kung (african people)
navajo indians

3. Search by the name of the ethnic group. Consider ethnonyms (alternative names) and/or variant spellings. Use the subject heading name, if known. Truncate for singular and plural terms, if appropriate.

                     navajo or navaho or dine or dene
                     nava? or dine or dene
"!kung bushmen" or "!kung african people"
   tuareg?

4. Add one or more of the following terms or phrases to your search statement:

social life (from subject heading: social life and customs)
ethnology
ethnograph? (to cover both "ethnography" and "ethnographic")

Some examples of keyword search statements:

nava?o people
(nava?o or dine) and "social life and customs"
tuareg? and ("social life" or ethnology)
nuer? and ("social life" or ethnology or ethnograph?)

You will probably need to actually look at a book to make sure it is an ethnography. Once you have identified the call number of an ethnography for a particular group, you will be able to browse other ethnographies shelfed nearby. Remember that many books are now being purchased as ebooks and are only available electronically. If you find an ebook, you will need to browse it online to make sure it is an appropriate ethnography.

ANTH 327/REL 327 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

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Selected Books

Finding Ethnographies in the Online Catalog