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The Basics
Magic: The Basics
Magic: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to magic in world history and contemporary societies. Presenting magic as a global phenomenon which has manifested in all human cultures, this book takes a thematic approach which explores the historical, social, and cultural aspects of magic.
Key features include:
attempts to define magic either in universal or more particular terms, and to contrast it with other broad and potentially fluid categories such as religion and science;
an examination of different forms of magical practice and the purposes for which magic has been used;
debates about magic's effectiveness, its reality, and its morality;
an exploration of magic's association with certain social factors, such as gender, ethnicity and education, among others.
Offering a global perspective of magic from antiquity through to the modern era and including a glossary of key terms, suggestions for further reading and case studies throughout, Magic: The Basics is essential reading for anyone seeking to learn more about the academic study of magic.
Key features include:
attempts to define magic either in universal or more particular terms, and to contrast it with other broad and potentially fluid categories such as religion and science;
an examination of different forms of magical practice and the purposes for which magic has been used;
debates about magic's effectiveness, its reality, and its morality;
an exploration of magic's association with certain social factors, such as gender, ethnicity and education, among others.
Offering a global perspective of magic from antiquity through to the modern era and including a glossary of key terms, suggestions for further reading and case studies throughout, Magic: The Basics is essential reading for anyone seeking to learn more about the academic study of magic.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2017
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January 30, 2023
This book is an academic viewpoint about magic from a humanities perspective. It’s just a basic overview from a historian, but it covers philosophy, psychology, sociology, as well as history. It also discusses magic in Asia, Africa, and South America in addition to the North American and European focus a lot of books take. My favorite part of the whole thing is the resources and further reading section. I can cross off what I’ve already read and stock up on some new stuff I’m not familiar with. I even learned there are academic journals about magic out there… how did I not know this 😂 It’s not my favorite book, but it does give a decent review of magic from various perspectives, which makes it a good book if you want something to give you a springboard into certain topics. I'm happy to have this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a more academic discussion of what magic is and how it's been viewed throughout history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review