The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft

Chapter 11: Magic, Medicine, and Religion 

Chapter Summary

Fieldwork Activity  

Mini-Fieldwork Activities 

Activity 1: As you watch TV and interact with social media over the course of a week—news, sports, movies, TV dramas, comedies, etc.—observe the various advertisements promoting health products, e.g., toothpaste, deodorant, antacid, prescription drugs, etc.  

  1. What imagery and explanatory models are used to describe the effects of the products? What are they “promising”?  
  1. Are the models logical? Why or why not? 
  1. What sensory drivers (e.g. music, lighting) and other special effects are used to advertise the product? And what kind of mood or emotion is being presented with the product? 
  1. Would you buy the product based on what is being presented? Why or why not? 

Activity 2: Many doctors and anthropologists contend that the efficacy of belief is 50 percent of wellness.  

  1. What is meant by “efficacy of belief”? Why do you think this is such a powerful part of wellness? 
  1. Based on personal or family experiences, argue for or against this position. 

Multiple Choice Questions 

Which of the following is not an explanatory model of illness?

What is meant by the "placebo effect"?

Windigo and amok are diseases that anthropologists classify as:

Anthropologists working in clinical settings are most commonly identified as:

All of the following would be classfied as naturalistic models except:

Case Studies 

Video Case Study Activity on a Culture Bound Syndrome 

  1. View the clip on WINDIGO at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guiuXIMZ2vE (8 minutes) 
  • What is windigo? Describe its characteristics according to the Algonquin. 
  • What characteristics do Indigenous societies who believe in windigo share? 
  • How do the Western interpretations of windigo vary from those originating in Indigenous societies? 
  • Compare the windigo with an extraordinary creature with which you are familiar in stories and legends. 
  1. Now do a follow-up on the history of windigo. Do an internet search of “windigo court cases” or “windigo trials” and summarize a court case in which windigo was used as legal evidence. 

Study Questions

  1. Describe why magic, religion, and medicine cannot be separated. 
  1. What are explanatory models? How do these vary across culture? 
  1. Discuss the disease/illness dichotomy. Name some non-Western explanatory models of illness. How do they clash or complement Western models? 
  1. Can you identify practitioners in the personal, folk, and professional sectors in your community? 
  1. Compare and contrast personalistic and naturalistic medical systems. 
  1. Discuss the arguments for and against labeling theory. How is it problematic? 
  1. Can you identify any other ancient symbols used in Western medicine today? 
  1. What is the DSM-5, and how is it used? What are some of the questions about its application to the non-Western world? 

Suggested Readings 

Kaur, Darpan. Mohinder Sing, and Shaunak Ajinkya. 2012. “Spirituality and Religion in Modern Medicine.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine 34(4):39-402. In this article, the authors maintain that patients’ religion and spirituality should be considered during hospital care. 

Rivers, WHR. Medicine, Magic and Religion (New York: Routledge, 2001). First published in 1924 by Rivers, a physician and ethnologist who believed Indigenous medical practices were logical when viewed within the context of religion. 

Van der Geest, Sjaak. 2005. “’Sacraments’ in the Hospital: Exploring the Magic and Religion of Recovery.” Anthropology and Medicine 12(5):135-150. Through an examination of the ritual dimension of hospital work, the author reconsiders the boundaries between magic, science, and religion. 

Waddell, Mark A. 2021. Magic, Science, and Religion in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The author traces magic and medicine from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, showing the transformation from ancient ritual magic and alchemy to early modern medicine. 

Wright, Robin M. ed. Religion, Medicine, and Healing. Contemporary Perspectives (Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2021). A cross-cultural examination of non-Western and shamanistic healing techniques that complement Western medicine. 

Suggested Websites  

https://anthropologyreview.org/influential-anthropologists/bronislaw-malinowski-the-father-of-field-research/?expand_article=1 (Bronislaw Malinowski – The Father of Field Research) 

https://medanthro.net

Website for the Society for Medical Anthropology – a section of the American Anthropological Association  

https://dictionary.apa.org/culture-bound-syndrome

American Psychological Association – A Dictionary of Psychology – Culture Bound Syndrome 

Website with links for specific culture bound syndromes, amok, pibloktoq, etc. 

https://www.who.int/initiatives/who-global-centre-for-traditional-medicine

World Health Organization Centre for Traditional Medicine website. 

https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/learning-ayurveda/intro-to-ayurveda

Introduction to Ayurvedic medicine website. 

https://www.journalofchinesemedicine.com/traditional-chinese-medicine-sites

The Journal of Chinese Medicine website with links to various forms of treatment. 

Suggested Video 

Encountering Eloyi (2008, Richard Werbner, International Center for Contemporary Cultural Research). A documentary of the religious beliefs of the Eloyi in Botswana. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK9IjSwXR94 – Ethno medicine – Anthropological Survey of India. Current plant medicines and treatments in India are presented. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi2nUpiALYU – Preserving Ethnomedicine in Africa – May 2018. A discussion of how ethnomedicine can bridge medical gaps in Africa. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im0Ep4zGDx0 – Running Amok? Culture Bound Syndromes 

A one-minute video describes Running Amok in Malaysia. 

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