[Exploration] Religion, Magic and Witchcraft

Halloween marks a time of year when figures of ghosts and witches dominate our landscapes, but how have we come to accept these “magical” figures without a second thought in such a rational, reasonable, and scientific context such as our own? How might we also account for a dramatic increase in interest in astrology, witchcraft, and magic generally in the last decade?

Join us for this talk that will take an anthropological approach to discuss the appeal of magical thinking and religious practices like witchcraft in our secular and scientific context during a time of great anxiety and rapid change.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Rebecca Plett is a cultural anthropologist with a background in medical anthropology and the anthropology of religion. Her research and areas of teaching span cultural narratives of wellbeing and generational trauma in a biomedical context, illness and aging, and religious experience in both local and international contexts.