Magic: The Basics The Basics Series

Magic: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to magic in world history and contemporary societies. Presenting magic as a global phenomenon which has manifested in all human cultures, this book takes a thematic approach which explores the historical, social, and cultural aspects of magic.

Key features include:

• attempts to define magic either in universal or more particular terms, and to contrast it with other broad and potentially fluid categories such as religion and science;
• an examination of different forms of magical practice and the purposes for which magic has been used;
• debates about magic?s effectiveness, its reality, and its morality;
• an exploration of magic?s association with certain social factors, such as gender, ethnicity and education, among others.

Offering a global perspective of magic from antiquity through to the modern era and including a glossary of key terms, suggestions for further reading and case studies throughout, Magic: The Basics is essential reading for anyone seeking to learn more about the academic study of magic.

Acknowledgements

Introduction: A Magical World

Chapter 1: The Meanings of Magic

Chapter 2: Magical Acts

Chapter 3: Magic Contested and Condemned

Chapter 4: Magical Identities

Chapter 5: The Reality of Magic

Chapter 6: Magic in the Modern World

Glossary

Further Reading

Michael D. Bailey is Professor of History at Iowa State University. He is founding co-editor of the journal Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft and has published extensively on the history of witchcraft and superstition in medieval Europe.