The Evil Eye

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Object Description
The evil eye dates back to over a thousand years ago. The earliest known indication of it dates back to the classical period, in Ancient Greece and Rome. Besides being mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts, it is almost mentioned in texts such as the Bible and the Quran (Radford). It holds the same meaning no matter where or how the story is told to define it. It is a mischievous look that many cultures believe it is able to cause harm and/or bad luck towards the person it casts upon for hatred or envy. The symbol and the superstition of the evil eye is one of the most well known symbolic images throughout the world.
The belief in the evil eye is believed in many cultures, but it continues to be a major influence in the behavior of millions living in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern part of the world, as well as amongst immigrants coming to the Americas. The belief is still active globally. Boris Gershman states, “According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 16% of Americans believe in the evil eye, or that “certain people can cast curses or spells that cause harm.” So do over 42% of respondents in a 2008-2009 Pew survey conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a substantial variation across nineteen participating countries” (Economic Origins 1). Gershman further claims that lately, a most recent study was conducted in 2011-2012 among different Muslim populations of 24 countries, and it showed that the belief is highly widespread in the Middle East and North African regions, moderate in Central Asia, Eastern and Southern Europe, and less significant in the Southeastern part of Asia. While the evil eye is known in many different cultures, it is also known in many diff...

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Works Cited

Abu-Rabia, Aref. “The Evil Eye and Cultural Beliefs among the Bedouin Tribes of the Negev,Middle East” Folklore, Vol. 116, No. 3. Dec. 2005. 241-254. Web. 14 Apr. 2014
Berger, Alan S. “The Evil Eye—An Ancient Superstition” Journal of Religion and Health, Vol 51, No. 4. Dec. 2012. 1098-1103. Web. 15 April 2014
Gershman, Boris. “The Economic Origins of the Evil Eye Belief.” American University. N.p., July 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Jones, Louis C. “The Evil eye among European-Americans” Western Folklore, Vol. 10, No. 1. Jan 1951) 11-25. Web 14 Apr. 2014.
Radford, Benjamin. “The Evil Eye: Meaning of the Curse & Protection Against It.” LiveScience. TechMedia Network. 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014
Wazana, Nili. “A Case of the Evil Eye: Qohelet 4:4-8” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 126, No. 4. Winter 2007. 685-702. Web. 15 Apr 2014.

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