Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande [Abridged] [Paperback]

E. E. Evans-Pritchard (Author), Eva Gillies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1976 | ISBN-10: 0198740298 | ISBN-13: 978-0198740292 | Edition: Abridged

This acknowledged masterpiece has been abridged to make it more accessible to students. In her introduction, Eva Gillies presents the case for the relevance of the book to modern anthropologists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Surely no need for commentary on this anthropological classic at this late date, but it remains one of the most wonderfully written and useful texts ever."--Misty L. Bastian, Franklin & Marshall College

"Classic. Most important book written on the subject. Students love it."--Paige West, Winthrop College

"Important and classical study."--Larry Nasper, Columbia College, Chicago

"Timeless classic."--Anne Woodrick, University of Northern Iowa.

"A detailed and vivid description of witchcraft and the rituals related to it."--Prema Ghimire, Hartwick College

About the Author

The late Edward E. Evans Pritchard was a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Abridged edition (June 24, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198740298
• ISBN-13: 978-0198740292
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > History > Africa > Sudan
  • #43 in Books > History > Africa > Central Africa

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A controversial classic! February 13, 2001

By bryan12603

Format:Paperback

This is an abridged reprint of a book originally published in 1937.

This book by anthropologist Evans-Pritchard is best understood as a reaction against the work of the earlier anthropologist Levy-Bruhl. Levy-Bruhl had argued that "primitive" people have a "pre-logical" mentality, in that they are willing to accept worldviews that include contradictions. Evans-Pritchard disagrees, and uses the case study of the Azande, an African tribe, to make his point.

The Azande routinely appealled to "witchcraft" in their daily lives. (I cannot say how accurate Evans-Pritchard's account was of the Azande during his stay, or how much they have changed since the 30's.) For example, the Azande would explain at least some bad events as the result of witchcraft being practiced against them, and would use a "poison oracle" to determine who the witch was. ("Azande" is the noun, "Zande" is the adjective, like "Britons" vs. "British.") At first glance, this all seems irrational. However, Evans-Pritchard sets out the Azande beliefs in a way that shows that they form a fairly coherent system. He also notes that it was possible for him to live according to these beliefs during his stay with the Azande.

This book (and some of Evans-Pritchard's essays) have stimulated an immense amount of secondary literature. Peter Winch (see his articles in Bryan R. Wilson, ed., _Rationality_) argues that Evans-Pritchard did not go far enough, because Evans-Pritchard claims that the Zande beliefs (while not "pre-logical"), are nontheless unscientific, and mistaken. Winch argues that the test of whether something (e.g., electrons or witchraft) is real depends on the language and culture within which the judgment is being made. Consequently, it is simply a sort of category mistake to desribe the Zande beliefs as unscientific, since "science" is our standard of rationality, not their standard.

Charles Taylor (in an essay in the volume of his collected papers on "rationality and the human sciences") argues against Winch that, since the Azande beliefs have empirical consequences (e.g., there should be "witchcraft-substance" in the intestines of actual witches), it must be possible to test the Zande claims. Consequently, the Zande beliefs can fail (or conceivably pass) scientific verification.

If you are interested in contemporary anthropological studies of Africa, you should look for a more recent book. However, this is an interesting gateway to some challenging debates over how to think about rationality cross-culturally.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great anthropological work September 8, 2003

By Empyreal

Format:Paperback

I am in an anthropology class that studies magic, witchcraft,and healing among other cultures. This book was assigned for the class.

Evans-Pritchard explains everything in great detail, and although the book is over 70 years old, he makes the culture seem alive to the reader. E-P doesn't write as though the Azande witchcraft beliefs are inferior to our own, and he admits that while he lived among them, he accepted their beliefs. He explains, at length, that their beliefs are just as logical as our own, they just stem from different premises.

The writing itself is very clear and concise, and I have had no problems reading 120 pages of it over the weekend. It's genuinely interesting and reads almost like a novel. The main ideas are easy to catch and highlight, so it is an easy book to study. E-P doesn't bog the reader down in details but adequately explains everything of the Azande's beliefs. His analysis of the beliefs are objective and easy to follow, yet not condescending.

Overall, a very interesting book that I would recommend to anybody who is interested in anthropology in general or religious beliefs of other cultures in particular.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine work of Anthropology September 27, 2002

By Blah

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Evans Pritchard is one of the foremost anthropologist in the twentieth century as well as being one of the first to do serious work in Africa. In this book his main focus is the three oracles of the Azande in the Sudan. These being in order of decreasing importance: the poison oracle, the termite oracle, and the rubbing board oracle. He spent extended time researching and was directly feed information from an informant who being taught the secrets of witchdoctors. On the negative side it does have a somewhat condescending tone to African Culture as well as to Africans in general. However, this takes away little from the whole product. the Abridged version is almost as good as the unabridged and is well worth the read.