Provincializing European Witchcraft: Thoughts on Peter Geschiere’s Latest Synthesis
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Research Projects
Organizational Units
History
The Department of History was formed in 1969 from the division of the Department of History, Government, and Philosophy.
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Abstract
This review essay offers a reaction to Peter Geschiere’s Witchcraft, Intimacy and Trust. Geschiere’s book argues hat witchcraft is essentially about the paradox that the group of people with whom we are most intimate (neighbors and kin) has, by virtue of its intimacy, tremendous power and a potentially dangerous hold over us. The remedy for this paradox is trust; when trust fails, witchcraft appears. While Geschiere’s study is primarily grounded in African witchcraft, the present essay considers the possibilities these ideas may hold for the study of witchcraft phenomena on a global scale, both historically and sociology, in other parts of the world, and especially for those who focus on Western Europe
Comments
This article is published as Bailey, Michael D. "Provincializing European Witchcraft: Thoughts on Peter Geschiere's Latest Synthesis." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 10, no. 1 (2015): 75-96. 10.1353/mrw.2015.0005. Posted with permission.