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Naming the Witch : Magic, Ideology, & Stereotype in the Ancient World by Stratton, Kimberly B. is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

What is Naming the Witch : Magic, Ideology, & Stereotype in the Ancient World about?

Kimberly B. Stratton investigates the cultural and ideological motivations behind early imaginings of the magician, the sorceress, and the witch in the ancient world. Accusations of magic could carry the death penalty or, at the very least, marginalize the person or group they targeted. But Stratton moves beyond the popular view of these accusations as mere slander. In her view, representations and accusations of sorcery mirror the complex struggle of ancient societies to define authority, legitimacy, and Otherness. Stratton argues that the concept "magic" first emerged as a discourse in ancient Athens where it operated part and parcel of the struggle to define Greek identity in opposition to the uncivilized "barbarian" following the Persian Wars. The idea of magic then spread throughout the Hellenized world and Rome, reflecting and adapting to political forces, values, and social concerns in each society. Stratton considers the portrayal of witches and magicians in the literature of four related periods and cultures: classical Athens, early imperial Rome, pre-Constantine Christianity, and rabbinic Judaism. She compares patterns in their representations of magic and analyzes the re

Who reads Naming the Witch : Magic, Ideology, & Stereotype in the Ancient World?

Author

Stratton, Kimberly B.

Publisher

Columbia University Press, c2007.

Published

2007

Language

EN

ISBN

9780231510967

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

Psychology, History, Body Mind & Spirit