Publication details
"Magické zákutia": Metodologické problémy pri výskume magických predstáv a praktík
| Title in English | “Magical nooks”: Methodological problems in the research of magical beliefs and practices |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Sociálni studia |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Philosophy and religion |
| Keywords | magical thinking; magical behavior; experimental methods; ethnographic research; folk models; representations; anthropological concepts of magic; psychological concepts of magic |
| Description | Magical beliefs and practices have been studied in anthropology from the beginning of the discipline. In local context they have been favourite topic of ethnology, folk studies or religious studies. Many authors treated them as some kind of relicts from the past that, without specified reasons, survived until nowadays. Many anthropologists worldwide studied magical beliefs in African communities and focused on social and political changes that appeared in those societies (and with them connected religious changes). On the other side, magical beliefs have been also interesting topic of study for psychologists. However, they have usually approached them from different perspective and with completely different aims. Psychologists mostly ignored cultural context and focused on mechanisms that are behind magical beliefs and their psychological principles. The aim of this article is to critically revalue some of the concepts of magical thinking and behavior and to show why a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods can be useful in their study and explanation. |
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