Persuasions of the Witch's Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England

by T.M. Luhrmann

Book Overview

To find out why reasonable people are drawn to the seemingly bizarre practices of magic and witchcraft, Tanya Luhrmann immersed herself in the secret lives of Londoners who call themselves magicians. She came to know them as friends and equals and was initiated into various covens and magical groups. She explains the process through which once-skeptical individuals--educated, middle-class people, frequently of high intelligence--become committed to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674663241
• ISBN13: 9780674663244
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

How can people believe this stuff? -- an inquiry

The ethnographic detail (and it is quite rich) of English covens is just the beginning -- the book is fundamentally about belief and the justification of belief. Is there any real difference between marginal practices like drawing pentagrams and casting spells and mainstream practices like taking communion and praying? Are there perhaps commonalities among "altered states" of meditation, prayer, and the like? No definitive answers, but a fascinating exploration.