Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural

Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural

Author: Jack Hunter

Publisher: August Night Press

Published: 2020-04-27

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9781786771315

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"Spirits, Gods and Magic" is an introduction to the anthropology of the supernatural. The book features introductory chapters outlining key anthropological perspectives on Shamanism and Spirit Possession, Witchcraft and Magic, and Ghosts, Spirits and Gods.


Book Synopsis Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural by : Jack Hunter

Download or read book Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural written by Jack Hunter and published by August Night Press. This book was released on 2020-04-27 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Spirits, Gods and Magic" is an introduction to the anthropology of the supernatural. The book features introductory chapters outlining key anthropological perspectives on Shamanism and Spirit Possession, Witchcraft and Magic, and Ghosts, Spirits and Gods.


Why People Believe in Spirits, God and Magic

Why People Believe in Spirits, God and Magic

Author: Jack Hunter

Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.

Published: 2012-10-01

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1446358100

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This ebook attempts to answer the question of why and how people believe in spirits, gods and magic from a social anthropology point of view. Covering topics such as Shamanism & Spirit Possession, Witchcraft & Magic, Ghosts, Spirits, Gods & Demons, Ethnography & the Paranormal and Anthropology & Parapsychology, this ebook provides an overview of supernatural traditions and practices around the world. The author also explores anthropological interpretations of supernatural and spiritual experiences, including the paranormal experiences of the anthropologists themselves when they are doing fieldwork (think Bruce Parry in the Amazon taking part in shamanistic rituals with ayahuasca!)


Book Synopsis Why People Believe in Spirits, God and Magic by : Jack Hunter

Download or read book Why People Believe in Spirits, God and Magic written by Jack Hunter and published by F+W Media, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ebook attempts to answer the question of why and how people believe in spirits, gods and magic from a social anthropology point of view. Covering topics such as Shamanism & Spirit Possession, Witchcraft & Magic, Ghosts, Spirits, Gods & Demons, Ethnography & the Paranormal and Anthropology & Parapsychology, this ebook provides an overview of supernatural traditions and practices around the world. The author also explores anthropological interpretations of supernatural and spiritual experiences, including the paranormal experiences of the anthropologists themselves when they are doing fieldwork (think Bruce Parry in the Amazon taking part in shamanistic rituals with ayahuasca!)


Paranthropology: Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal

Paranthropology: Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal

Author: Edited by Jack Hunter

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2012-06-30

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 147165379X

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We are living in a complicated period in relation to our understanding of 'extraordinary' phenomena. Naive materialist approaches are more assertive than ever, in anthropology and in the world more generally. At the same time, the taboos against admitting to the reality of the paranormal are weakening. There is a growing body of writing which takes the paranormal and extraordinary seriously, while bringing to it the same academic standards that any other subject matter would require. This is a valuable and important development, and it helps open the way to new modes of understanding in the sciences and social sciences that will not reject scientific rationality, but expand that rationality so as to include more of the world of human experience. The articles in this Paranthropology reader provide important clues and suggestions, along with rigorous argument, to help us in exploring what is likely to be a major area of anthropological engagement in coming years. Dr.Geoffrey Samuel, Cardiff University.


Book Synopsis Paranthropology: Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal by : Edited by Jack Hunter

Download or read book Paranthropology: Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal written by Edited by Jack Hunter and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-06-30 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are living in a complicated period in relation to our understanding of 'extraordinary' phenomena. Naive materialist approaches are more assertive than ever, in anthropology and in the world more generally. At the same time, the taboos against admitting to the reality of the paranormal are weakening. There is a growing body of writing which takes the paranormal and extraordinary seriously, while bringing to it the same academic standards that any other subject matter would require. This is a valuable and important development, and it helps open the way to new modes of understanding in the sciences and social sciences that will not reject scientific rationality, but expand that rationality so as to include more of the world of human experience. The articles in this Paranthropology reader provide important clues and suggestions, along with rigorous argument, to help us in exploring what is likely to be a major area of anthropological engagement in coming years. Dr.Geoffrey Samuel, Cardiff University.


Greening the Paranormal

Greening the Paranormal

Author: Jack Hunter

Publisher: August Night Press

Published: 2019-08-07

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9781786771094

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"Greening the Paranormal" explores parallels between anomalistics and ecology not just for the sake of exploring interesting intersections (of which there are many), but for the essential task of contributing towards a much broader - necessary - change of perspective concerning our relationship to the living planet.


Book Synopsis Greening the Paranormal by : Jack Hunter

Download or read book Greening the Paranormal written by Jack Hunter and published by August Night Press. This book was released on 2019-08-07 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Greening the Paranormal" explores parallels between anomalistics and ecology not just for the sake of exploring interesting intersections (of which there are many), but for the essential task of contributing towards a much broader - necessary - change of perspective concerning our relationship to the living planet.


Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Author:

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities, Social Sciences & World Languages

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780073405216

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This comparative reader takes an anthropological approach to the study of religious beliefs, both strange and familiar. The engaging articles on all key issues related to the anthropology of religion grab the attention of students, while giving them an excellent foundation in contemporary ideas and approaches in the field. The multiple authors included in each chapter represent a range of interests, geographic foci, and ways of looking at each subject. Divided into ten chapters, this book begins with a broad view of anthropological ways of looking at religion, and moves on to some of the core topics within the subject, such as myth, ritual, and the various types of religious specialists.


Book Synopsis Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion by :

Download or read book Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion written by and published by McGraw-Hill Humanities, Social Sciences & World Languages. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comparative reader takes an anthropological approach to the study of religious beliefs, both strange and familiar. The engaging articles on all key issues related to the anthropology of religion grab the attention of students, while giving them an excellent foundation in contemporary ideas and approaches in the field. The multiple authors included in each chapter represent a range of interests, geographic foci, and ways of looking at each subject. Divided into ten chapters, this book begins with a broad view of anthropological ways of looking at religion, and moves on to some of the core topics within the subject, such as myth, ritual, and the various types of religious specialists.


Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft

Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft

Author: Phillips Stevens, Jr.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-12-12

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1000998762

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This book introduces students to the anthropology of magic and witchcraft, terms widely used but without widely accepted definitions. It takes a new approach to this area within the anthropology of religion, demonstrating that the bases for these beliefs and alleged practices are inherent in human cognition and psychology, even instinctual, and likely rooted in our evolutionary biology. It shows how magic and magical thinking are regular elements in people’s daily lives, and that understanding the components of the witchcraft complex offers surprisingly important insights into patterns of thinking and social behavior. The book reviews the many meanings of “magic” and “witchcraft,” and introduces the best anthropological meanings of the terms. The components of these beliefs are timeless and universal; this fact, and recent advances in the brain sciences, suggest that the principles of magic are derived from basic processes of human thinking, and the attributes of the witch derive from neurobiologically based fears and fantasies. The propensity for such beliefs probably had adaptive significance in the evolutionary development of the human species; they are inherently human. This book is intended to focus anew on the core concepts of magic, witchcraft, and the supernatural, while also serving as an introduction to the anthropology of religion for undergraduate and graduate-level courses.


Book Synopsis Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft by : Phillips Stevens, Jr.

Download or read book Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft written by Phillips Stevens, Jr. and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-12-12 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces students to the anthropology of magic and witchcraft, terms widely used but without widely accepted definitions. It takes a new approach to this area within the anthropology of religion, demonstrating that the bases for these beliefs and alleged practices are inherent in human cognition and psychology, even instinctual, and likely rooted in our evolutionary biology. It shows how magic and magical thinking are regular elements in people’s daily lives, and that understanding the components of the witchcraft complex offers surprisingly important insights into patterns of thinking and social behavior. The book reviews the many meanings of “magic” and “witchcraft,” and introduces the best anthropological meanings of the terms. The components of these beliefs are timeless and universal; this fact, and recent advances in the brain sciences, suggest that the principles of magic are derived from basic processes of human thinking, and the attributes of the witch derive from neurobiologically based fears and fantasies. The propensity for such beliefs probably had adaptive significance in the evolutionary development of the human species; they are inherently human. This book is intended to focus anew on the core concepts of magic, witchcraft, and the supernatural, while also serving as an introduction to the anthropology of religion for undergraduate and graduate-level courses.


How God Becomes Real

How God Becomes Real

Author: T.M. Luhrmann

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-04-26

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0691234442

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The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.


Book Synopsis How God Becomes Real by : T.M. Luhrmann

Download or read book How God Becomes Real written by T.M. Luhrmann and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-26 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.


Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Author: Arthur C. Lehmann

Publisher:

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 438

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion by : Arthur C. Lehmann

Download or read book Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion written by Arthur C. Lehmann and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Manifesting Spirits

Manifesting Spirits

Author: Jack Hunter

Publisher: Aeon Books

Published: 2020-11-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9781912807888

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Manifesting Spirits is an ethnographic study of a contemporary trance mediumship development circle in suburban Bristol. The book has a particular emphasis on the ways in which extraordinary experiences had in séances lead to expanded notions of self and consciousness for both mediums and sitters, and the processes by which spirits are manifested in séance situations. Overall, the book makes strides toward the development of a nonreductive anthropology of the paranormal that embraces complexity and pushes beyond established models.


Book Synopsis Manifesting Spirits by : Jack Hunter

Download or read book Manifesting Spirits written by Jack Hunter and published by Aeon Books. This book was released on 2020-11-15 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Manifesting Spirits is an ethnographic study of a contemporary trance mediumship development circle in suburban Bristol. The book has a particular emphasis on the ways in which extraordinary experiences had in séances lead to expanded notions of self and consciousness for both mediums and sitters, and the processes by which spirits are manifested in séance situations. Overall, the book makes strides toward the development of a nonreductive anthropology of the paranormal that embraces complexity and pushes beyond established models.


Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics

Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics

Author: Matt Cardin

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

Published: 2015-07-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1610696832

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This provides a complete overview of paranormal phenomena, including the beliefs, attitudes, and notable figures who have attempted to explain, defend, or debunk the mysteries behind the unknown.


Book Synopsis Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics by : Matt Cardin

Download or read book Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics written by Matt Cardin and published by ABC-CLIO. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This provides a complete overview of paranormal phenomena, including the beliefs, attitudes, and notable figures who have attempted to explain, defend, or debunk the mysteries behind the unknown.