Master of Arts, Miami University, 2004, Religion

Witchcraft and sorcery have been a focus of anthropologists, religionists and many other scholars for a long time. The study of witchcraft and sorcery has largely shifted from its evolutionist and functionalist beginnings. In recent years, scholars have become increasingly interested in the connections between witchcraft and sorcery on the one hand, and power, politics, and race on the other. This new scholarly interest has helped to spur a resurgence in the study of witchcraft that focuses in part on demonstrating the modernity of witchcraft and sorcery. This approach is particularly relevant in East Africa, where witchcraft and sorcery are now used to explain global and state politics, the attainment and loss of political power, and other issues relevant to the region. Witchcraft and sorcery have become modern concerns. Over time the phenomena of witchcraft and sorcery have spread beyond the traditional rural setting into the urban East African environment and traditional witchcraft beliefs and practices have been adapted to cope with urban society. This thesis attempts to show that witchcraft and sorcery have adapted to modernization and urbanization as well as how the perceptions of these phenomena have changed. In addition, it seeks to show that witchcraft and sorcery have taken their place in modernity as modern phenomena.

Committee: Elizabeth Wilson (Advisor) Subjects: