Witches and Demons: A Comparative Perspective on Witchcraft and Satanism (Studies in Public and Applied Anthropology Book 10)

Devil worship, black magic and witchcraft have long captivated anthropologists as well as the general public. In this volume, Jean La Fontaine explores the intersection of expert and lay understandings of evil and the cultural forms that evil assumes. The chapters touch on public scares about devil-worship, misconceptions about human sacrifice and the use of body parts in healing practices, and mistaken accusations of children practicing witchcraft. Together, these cases demonstrate that comparison is a powerful method of cultural understanding, but warns of the dangers and mistaken conclusions that untrained ideas about other ways of life can lead to. -- Provided by publisher. ch. 1 Hidden Enemies: Evil at the End of the Millennium -- -- ch. 2 Concepts of Evil, Witchcraft and the Sexual Abuse of Children in Modern England -- -- ch. 3 Ritual Murder? -- -- ch. 4 Magic and Medicine: The Torso in the Thames -- -- ch. 5 Child Witches in London: Tradition and Change in Religious Belief -- -- ch. 6 Evil and Children: The Morality of Childhood -- -- ch. 7 Pastors and Witches -- -- ch. 8 London's Witch Children.