This course explores how various cultures (and some exceptional individuals) have sought to understand their world in supernatural terms. Notions and practices of “magic”, often in tension with contemporary religious and scientific beliefs, will be studied as they changed over time and in response to shifting cultural needs. The relationship between “magic” and otherworldly creatures broadly conceived as “demonic” (and potentially, but not necessarily, linked to absolute incarnations of “evil”) will also be examined. Selected examples from around the world will be presented to introduce students to a wide variety of historical periods, regions, and themes. Throughout, our focus will be on seeking to understand magical and demonic systems as historical artifacts rather than passing judgments on either their reality or their morality.
- Teacher: Robin Vose