1. Lecture 19 Witchcraft, sorcery and modernity

2. Witchcraft – Sorcery - Magic Superstition Pre-modern Pre-scientific Irrational Tradition Historical past Fantasy

3. Defining witchcraft Witchcraft vs. sorcery Theory of causation Social commentary and expression of moral judgement Means of social action Individual freedom and creativity

4. Witchcraft, religion, science and modernity Western assumption of progress towards enlightenment Durkheims evolutionary view of society Durkheim: Religion is primitive science Religion is superseded by science

5. Evans-Pritchard – Azande magic Azande thinking was no less rational than European thinking Belief in witchcraft coexisted with rational explanations of causality Witchcraft provided a natural philosophy for explaining unfortunate events

6. Azande witchcraft Witchcraft is not extraordinary or miraculous It does not replace empirical knowledge It explains coincidence Focuses on the socially relevant cause Gives social events their moral value

7. Azande witchcraft and morality Follows the dynamics of social relations Expresses Azande moral values

8. Witchcraft is thoroughly modern The powers of witchcraft and sorcery are ambivalent Dynamic and engaged with the world Creatively refashioned to suit new situations Emphasis on global processes rather than bounded, local contexts

9. The Comaroffs: Occult Economies No single and universal modernity Occult practices are an integral feature of millennial capitalism Capitalism itself is cultural and takes on particular local forms

10. South African capitalism Unequal development and access to wealth A few become wealthy by the mysterious workings of the market Hopes for the majority have not been realised Magic of despair

11. Creativity and modernity The key feature of witchcraft is its ambiguity An individual can connect to the supernatural directly Acts as a dynamic site for cultural and moral creativity Witchcraft and sorcery is always modern