Magi and Fortune Tellers: Magic, Ideology, and Stereotypes in the Ancient World
14.99 €
In stock
Magi and Fortune Tellers: Magic, Ideology, and Stereotypes in the Ancient World
14.99 €
It seems that the image of the powerful witch or all-powerful sorcerer has always existed in Western culture. But when and under what circumstances did it emerge? Kimberly Stratton proposes viewing magic as a discourse with its own cultural, social, and political history.
The author analyzes images of witches and magicians in the literature of four interconnected historical periods: classical Athens, early imperial Rome, pre-Constantinian Christianity, and rabbinic Judaism. Stratton compares the development of discourse on witchcraft in these cultures, identifies common features, and draws connections between these ideological constructs and the social factors that gave rise to them. One of the main goals of the book is to demonstrate that in the ancient world, accusations of witchcraft were not simply slander but were an attempt to define the boundaries of power and legitimacy, to draw a line between the self and the Other.
Kimberly Stratton is a historian of religion and an associate professor at Carleton University.
The author analyzes images of witches and magicians in the literature of four interconnected historical periods: classical Athens, early imperial Rome, pre-Constantinian Christianity, and rabbinic Judaism. Stratton compares the development of discourse on witchcraft in these cultures, identifies common features, and draws connections between these ideological constructs and the social factors that gave rise to them. One of the main goals of the book is to demonstrate that in the ancient world, accusations of witchcraft were not simply slander but were an attempt to define the boundaries of power and legitimacy, to draw a line between the self and the Other.
Kimberly Stratton is a historian of religion and an associate professor at Carleton University.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author
- All books in the series Identity Studies