Notion Of Witchcraft

The practice of using ritual powers, magic and the invocation of spirits-broadly termed as witchcraft- is a fascinating topic shrouded in mystery. Although an ancient practise, witchcraft is still a very relevant topic in modern society.

In Evans-Pritchard’s article entitled “The Notion of Witchcraft explains Unfortunate Events”, he focuses on how witchcraft helps the people of the Azande tribe make sense of the relation between their people and the unfortunate events that they encounter. It does not only provide them with a “natural philosophy” but also dictates a way in which they are expected to react to such unfortunate events. Witchcraft is found in every corner of their culture and influences the way they perceive things and the way their tribe functions according to specific laws, morals, etiquette and religion. The Zande come into daily contact with witchcraft. They respond to it with aggression and annoyance, instead of awe or fear, because it is so much a part if their ordinary world. They do not hold witchcraft responsible for every mere misfortune that they come across, nor do they blame misfortune on witchcraft alone. They use witchcraft to explain “the particular conditions in a chain of causation which related an individual to natural happenings in such a way that he sustained injury”. An example is the collapsing of a granary while people were sitting beneath it to escape the heat of the day. The people sitting beneath the granary were subsequently injured. They acknowledge that the granary collapsed due to termites eating the supports and wood decaying over time and they also acknowledge that people were sitting beneath the granary to escape the heat but they use witchcraft to explain why these two happenings coi...

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...cusations (which had limitations) of witchcraft, to then venture into more “vague spheres” and to try make sense of rumours or the role of healers and how they affect social relations. It is noteworthy that in order to significantly renew the study of witchcraft, authors must remain distant from a “moralising discourse” and must not make a clear distinction between good and evil. It can be seen that witchcraft is a “constantly changing set of notions” as anthropologists have reflected upon and interpreted the varying circumstances. (Geschiere, 1997)

It can be seen that witchcraft is still prominent in many different countries and their reasons for practising it are all varied. It is thus a complicated yet fascinating topic where many different theories and views have arisen which has lead to the still underlying uncertainty surrounding the practice of witchcraft.