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Witchcraft and selfcraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

Terence M. S. Evens
Terence M. S. Evens
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill).

Abstract

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This essay explores the status of moral accounting in relation to contingent misfortune. It does so by comparing the oracular procedures of the Azande of Center Africa to a modern pseudo-psychotherapeutic interaction. Though the first is in principle mystical and the second rational, both forms of inquiry are shown to display a certain indifference to contradiction. The reason for this indifference rests with the consideration that both focus on practical rather than theoretical questions. Nevertheless, in the pseudo-psychotherapcutic interaction the presumption of theory qua theory makes a difference. That presumption comports a principle of epistemological certainty, removing the ground from moral accounting while privileging naturalistic explanation. In this light, contrary to received anthropological opinion, it is the selfcraft of much psychotherapy rather than the witchcraft of the Azande that must count as a closed system.

Cet essai explore la justification morale des malheurs contingents, en comparant et opposant les procds oraculaires des Zand d'Afrique centrale l'interaction moderne pseudopsychothrapeutique. Bien que la premire soit en principe mystique et la seconde rationnelle, les deux formes dmontrent une certaine indiffrence la contradiction. La raison de cette indiffrence consiste considrer que toutes deux se concentrent sur des questions plus pratiques que thoriques. Nanmoins, dans l'interaction pseudo-psychothrapeutique, la supposition d'une thorie en tant que thorie fait la diffrence. Cette prsomption comporte un principe de certitude pistmologique, qui s'carte de la justification morale pour privilgier l'explication naturaliste. Ainsi, au contraire de l'opinion anthropologique reue, c'est le selfcraft de la psychothrapie plus que la sorcellerie des Zand qui doit tre considre comme un systme clos .

Diese Untersuchung analysiert die moralische Rechtfertigung zuflliger Unglcke, wobei die Orakelriten der Zande in Ostafrika der modernen pseudo-psychotherapeutischen Interaktion gegenbergestellt werden. Obwohl die ersten mystisch sind, und die zweite rational, zeigen sich beide Methoden dem Widerspruch gegenber gleichgltig. Diese Gleichgltigkeit ergibt sich aus der Tatsache, da sich beide eher auf praktische Fragen, als auf theoretische konzentrieren. Die pseudo-psychotherapeutische Interaktion erkennt allerdings die Theorie als solche an und unterscheidet sich damit deutlich. Diese Annahme schliet das Prinzip der epistemologischen Sicherheit ein, die sich von der moralischen Rechtfertigung distanziert, urn eine naturalistische Erklrung vorzuzichen. Im Gegensatz zur anerkannten anthropologischcn Meinung, erscheint die Selfcraft der Psychotherapie und nicht die Hexereien der Zandes als geschlossenes System.

Type
Research Article
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , May 1996 , pp. 23 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © Archives Européenes de Sociology 1996

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