The whole enterprise of the anthropology of religion could be argued to have begun in Victorian times, with such anthropologists as Tylor and Frazer asking, incredulously, how ‘primitives’ could sustain what appeared to be quite ‘irrational’ beliefs (in magic, divination, animism, totemism, etc.).
At that time, a prime concern was to distinguish these kinds of ‘magical’ notions from more ‘advanced’ forms of religion, and particularly from Christianity, which some preferred to view as a perfectly legitimate religious doctrine. This raised the question of how such categories as ‘magic’ and ‘religion’ might be defined anthropologically; as well as how anthropologists have sought to account for ‘apparently irrational beliefs’.
Essay: Students will write one essay of approximately 1500 words (±10% -being outside this ±10% will result in a lower grade). Each essay should be typed, and double or 1.5 spaced, facilitate marking. Unicheck is a web-based plagiarism checker which verifies the authenticity of texts or documents by delivering a detailed similarity report to the student and instructor.
Question: Examine the roles played by witchcraft, oracles and magic in Zande society. How is it that the Azande can maintain faith in a system which has been described as “logically untenable”? What similarities and differences are there between Azande witchcraft beliefs and Western scientific beliefs?
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