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Experiencing Magic, August 18, 2010
This review is from: The Anthropology of Magic (Paperback)
Rather than reducing magic to its social or psychological aspects or to its encounters with religion and science, in the Anthropology of Magic, Susan Greenwood analyzes magic as an aspect of human consciousness, by which she means a process of mind capable of producing knowledge and altering conceptions of reality. She defines magical consciousness as "mythopoetic, expanded aspect of awareness that can potentially be experienced by everyone [...] and it informs both the shaping of cosmological realities and individual behavior as well as social structures" (4). Greenwood follows the characteristic anthropological approach of participant observation, drawing from both individual experiences and universal connections of magical practice. While Greenwood acknowledges magic as an analytical category, she primarily presents it as an experience in terms of emotion, imagination, and intuition, involving a sense of purpose and of an intelligent, meaningful cosmos. First, Greenwood explores various theories and ideas for interpreting the experience of magic, particularly the role of participation. She then turns to an analysis of sympathetic magic and analogical thinking to illustrate the importance of an intelligent, meaningful cosmos to the magical consciousness. This is followed by the examination of the role of emotion and mythology as the language of magical experience and participation. Greenwood argues that magic contains both rational and mystical aspects. The term rational is used in the same sense as Evans-Prichard, in that magic helps order society, such as explaining unfortunate events. However, Greenwood also suggests that this view can obscure the magical experience of psychic and social relationships. Greenwood goes on to explore the question of spirits and compares magical consciousness to abstract analytical thinking. She concludes with defending magic as a legitimate form of knowledge. The Anthropology of Magic is clear, structured, sophisticated, and insightful. There are many anecdotes that make this work enjoyable even for the casually interested, while the analysis challenges the reader to think more deeply about the issues surrounding the academic study of magic. Greenwood provides a fresh perspective on magic, that of the magical consciousness, with a participatory approach that is so important not only to anthropology, but to any explanatory framework regarding the nature of human experience.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
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A positive academic exploration of magic, April 12, 2011
This review is from: The Anthropology of Magic (Paperback)
This is one of the better academic texts on magic out there. The author draws both on academic texts and her own experiences as a magic practitioner to knowledgeably discuss magic and how it is treated in the Anthropological field, while successfully arguing that magic represents a different, but equally valid way of understanding the world. If I have one complaint its that the author doesn't draw on actual occult texts. However she does interview magic practitioners and shares her own experiences as well. This is a good book to have, whether you're an academic or an occultist.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
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A Must Read for Understanding the Human Condition, August 13, 2011
This review is from: The Anthropology of Magic (Paperback)
This book represents one of the most important works on understanding the human mind's connection between the 'rational world' and that of the grossly underrepresented world of imagination and spirit. Since the beginning of time humankind has understood and revered the power of spirit through imagination, Dr. Greenwood captures and holds this world out to the reader through her extensive research and personal journey as an academic researcher and university lecturer. While understanding humanity and social systems are in a in a state of constant flux through socialising effects of intermittent power structures of the elite, Greenwood allows the reader the opportunity to grasp that this world is there for all to discover and to partake of their own personal journey. This well-written book captures the essence and value of the spirit and imagination within magic, to human thought and perceptions. Greenwood takes the reader through a journey beginning with Descarte's rationalist theorizing, that led to the separation of spirit and matter, and as Greenwood states, "the separation of spirit and matter left a world that was dispirited, and this corresponded with the development of science as a rationalist pursuit." The Anthropology of Magic is a must read for the serious multi-disciplinary researcher, who is interested in probing the full scope of human thought and possibilities. This important book will form part of my own ongoing research in the sociology of value, and the social realities of rural settings.
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