Defining Magic: A Reader

Critical Categories in the Study of Religion

by Bernd-Christian Otto (Editor), Michael Stausberg (Editor)

Magic has been an important term in western history and continues to be an essential topic in the modern study of religion, anthropology, sociology, and cultural history. Defining Magic is the first volume to assemble key texts which examine the nature of magic, establish its boundaries and key features, and explain its working. The Reader brings together seminal writings from antiquity to today. The texts have been selected on their strength in defining magic as a category, their impact on future scholarship, and their originality. The writings are divided into chronological sections with each essay separately introduced for student readers. Together, these texts from Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies, and Anthropology reveal the breadth of critical approaches and responses to defining what is magic."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Magick

297 pages, ebook

First published November 1, 2012