Are Witchcraft Beliefs Irrational?

        The practise of witchcraft is of great interest to anthropologists, because it is a concept that pervades many societies. The most influential study is Evan's Pritchard's Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande and ever since this work was published, anthropologists have debated about definitions of witchcraft, reasons why it exists in so many societies, and whether it should be regarded as rational or irrational. Historians often concentrated on the absurdity of witchcraft and attempted …

…work. In some ways, asking about the rationality of witchcraft is therefore not very relevant, and instead we should focus on how witchcraft beliefs form part of the culture under study and explain them from within this context. Bibliography Douglas, Mary Implicit Meanings (1975) Douglas, Mary Witchcraft Confessions and Accusations (1970) Evens-Pritchard, E. Witchcraft and Magic among the Azande, abridged by Gillies (1976) Hendry, Joy An Introduction to Social Anthropology (1999) Mair, Lucy Witchcraft (1969) Marwick, Max Witchcraft and Sorcery (1970)