ENVS 3600 Lecture Notes 9/10/07 Carrie Susemihl I. Reading Schedule for Witchcraft A. Sept. 12 & 17, Intro and 1-2 B. Sept. 19, 3-6 C. Sept. 24, 7-9 D. Sept. 26, 10-13 E. Oct., Paper! Quiz A. Where did the author do his research? 1. Sudan B. What year did the author do his research? 1. 1926 C. Where is Melanesia? 1. Near New Guinea D. Spells among the Azande must be repeated exactly. 1. False E. Spells are passed down to relations among the Trobrianders. 1. True F. Pay attention to time/place! Discussion of essay, The Morphology and Function of Magic: A Comparative Study of Trobriand and Zande Ritual and Spells by E. E. Evans-Pritchard (American Anthropologist, 1929, V. 31) A. Terminology of tribe 1. British colonial word/definition, the British organized groups into tribes for their own purposes of organization and communication. The groups themselves did not necessarily identify themselves within these same tribal groups/did not always refer to themselves by these terms. 2. Evans-Pritchard may have had altruistic intentions for his work, however, he was studying on behalf of the British colonial government who hoped to profit from his information and may have used it to exploit these people. B. Evans-Pritchard was probably in his mid-late 20s when he wrote this essay. 1. The book was written ten years later. 2. Evans-Pritchard s arguments evolve and change between the essay and the book. C. Comparative essay 1. Comparing two different groups of people, common anthropological strategy. 2. Don t get lost in terms, decide what s relevant. D. Morphology of Magic 1. Morphology comes from linguistics, refers to the internal structure (of magic). 2. How does magic function in these societies? 3. What is the relationship between function and social structure? 4. Is there a coherent magic recognizable in these cultures? 1 II. III. ENVS 3600 Lecture Notes 9/10/07 5. 2 E. F. G. Magic is equatable to religion in other (Western) cultures as a way to explain the unexplainable. 6. Scientific vs. rational approach to inquiry a. Is magic rational? Difference between our/their (Western/tribal) magic? 1. See page 630 for quote on magic in Western culture. 2. People have to have faith in the magic for it to be real. 3. Once you re satisfied with a belief/rational explanation, you don t look for further forms of explanation. 4. Magic supported by concrete myth is more durable. 5. New evidence is incorporated into the belief, rather than the belief being changed. a. Example: Evolution vs. intelligent design b. People are willing to incorporate contrary data into their paradigm before changing that paradigm. It requires tremendous effort to shift a paradigm. Change is generally slow, punctuated by dramatic moments of shift. c. Social weight of the explanation is heavy, more so than the weight of the data. Differences between the Trobrianders and Azande 1. Distribution of people a. Trobrianders are centralized. b. Azande are spread in individual homesteads. 2. Food sources a. Trobrianders fish, Azande eat termites. 3. Trobrianders emphasize myth, Azande have few myths explaining their magic. 4. Tribrianders are matrilineal, Azande are patrilineal. 5. Among Trobrianders, magic is transferred by close relation only. Among Azande there is general transference among the people, not limited by relation. 6. Both practice subsistence gardening. a. Trobrianders garden communally. b. Azande garden on individual homesteads. How does communal property get managed? 1. Somebody must be in charge to organize labor and prevent abuse of gardens. a. Among the Trobrianders, chiefs/big men with little executive power are the organizing force. They rule by consent of the people and by charisma. b. The big men get people to do what they want voluntarily by social power granted by a useful symbol. Their authority is not permanent. 2. In Western culture, our labor is given somewhat voluntarily to an ENVS 3600 Lecture Notes 9/10/07 Carrie Susemihl ...