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Title: Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande by Edward Evan, Sir Evans-Pritchard ISBN: 0-19-874029-8 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1976 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Great anthropological work
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: African Witchcraft
Comment: Although somewhat dated (being written around the turn of the century), this book is an excellent cultural survey of Zande magico-religious beliefs. The author spent time amongst the Azande of the Sudan and was one of the first westerners to study about the belief in witchcraft and sorcery. I would like to point out that in the terms of this book, witch is used to define malicious (or at least selfish) sorcerers. No offense to Wiccans or other New Agers, but traditional African religion does regard witchcraft as something that is evil, or at least negative. Aside from the material about witches, there is also a wealth of information about oracles and how the Azande detect the witches within their societ. This is a study of the religious beliefs of the Azande, and I strongly recommend that anyone with an interest in African cultural or religion to take a look at this book. Please do note that it is somewhat dated, and contains somewhat paternalistic views towards African society. And furthermore, Zande culture (which is alive and well in the Sudan) has changed somewhat over the years. Nonetheless, I strongly recommend this book
Rating: 4
Summary: A fine work of Anthropology
Comment: 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.
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Title: Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronislaw Malinowski ISBN: 0881330841 Publisher: Waveland Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1984 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People by E. E. Evans-Pritchard ISBN: 0195003225 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1940 List Price(USD): $28.95 |
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Title: Peddlers and Princes: Social Development and Economic Change in Two Indonesian Towns (Comparative Studies of New Nations Ser) by Clifford Geertz ISBN: 0226285146 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 1963 List Price(USD): $16.50 |
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Title: In the Realm of the Diamond Queen by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing ISBN: 0691000514 Publisher: Princeton University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.59 |
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Title: Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo by Mary Douglas ISBN: 0415289955 Publisher: Routledge Pub. Date: 15 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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