Description
Kimberly B. Stratton investigates the cultural and ideological motivations behind early imaginings of the magician, the sorceress, and the witch in the ancient world. Accusations of magic could carry the death penalty or, at the very least, marginalize the person or group they targeted. But Stratton moves beyond the popular view of these accusations as mere slander. In her view, representations and accusations of sorcery mirror the complex struggle of ancient societies to define authority, legitimacy, and Otherness. Stratton argues that the concept "magic" first emerged as a discourse in ancient Athens where it operated part and parcel of the struggle to define Greek identity in opposition to the uncivilized "barbarian" following the Persian Wars. The idea of magic then spread throughout the Hellenized world and Rome, reflecting and adapting to political forces, values, and social concerns in each society. Stratton considers the portrayal of witches and magicians in the literature of four related periods and cultures: classical Athens, early imperial Rome, pre-Constantine Christianity, and rabbinic Judaism. She compares patterns in their representations of magic and analyzes the relationship between these stereotypes and the social factors that shaped them. Stratton's comparative approach illuminates the degree to which magic was (and still is) a cultural construct that depended upon and reflected particular social contexts. Unlike most previous studies of magic, which treated the classical world separately from antique Judaism, Naming the Witch highlights the degree to which these ancient cultures shared ideas about power and legitimate authority, even while constructing and deploying those ideas in different ways. The book also interrogates the common association of women with magic, denaturalizing the gendered stereotype in the process. Drawing on Michel Foucault's notion of discourse as well as the work of other contemporary theorists, such as Homi K. Bhabha and Bruce Lincoln, Stratton's bewitching study presents a more nuanced, ideologically sensitive approach to understanding the witch in Western history.
Naming the Witch is a theoretically and historically sophisticated account of magic and gender in late antiquity that thoroughly denaturalizes both categories. Kimberly B. Stratton makes an excellent contribution to the theoretically informed study of gender, magic, and religion. -- Amy Hollywood, Elizabeth H. Monrad Professor of Christian Studies, Harvard Divinity School Naming the Witch breaks new ground in the contested territory of gender and magic in the ancient world. Kimberly B. Stratton examines charges and practices of magic from ancient Greece to the Babylonian Talmud with a fresh eye and ideological sophistication. Her attentive readings offer insights into gender, magic, and religion that will challenge and engage expert and neophyte alike. -- Mary R. D'Angelo, associate professor of theology, University of Notre Dame, and coeditor of Women in Christian Origins Kimberly B. Stratton provides a fascinating exploration of the ways that people in the ancient Mediterranean world used the idea of 'magic' to marginalize particular groups and thereby reaffirm cultural norms. By juxtaposing four different cultural contexts, she reveals how this discourse of magic, while displaying some consistent features, was modulated to meet particular needs. This lively and stimulating book will be of interest not only to scholars of ancient magic but also to anyone working on gender and social relations. -- J. B. Rives, Kenan Eminent Professor of Classics, the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill Naming the Witch sets a new path in the study of magic. Sensitive to the literary and social conventions of both the classical and Semitic cultures of late antiquity, Kimberly B. Stratton leads us to a new understanding of the mechanisms by which magic does its work in society. This book should be read by all scholars of the period and all who have struggled to theorize about magic. -- Alan F. Segal, professor of religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies, Barnard College
About the Author
Kimberly B. Stratton is an associate professor in the College of Humanities at Carleton University. She grew up in Seattle, holds a B.A. in English and religion from Barnard College, an M.T.S. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in the history of religions in late antiquity from Columbia University. She has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research covers the fields of early Christianity, rabbinic Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture and religion.
Reviews
Naming the Witch is a well argued, well constructed book that can be highly recommended. -- Patrick Maille Bryn Mawr Classical Review A scrupulous and highly innovative study of the phenomenon of "magic" in the ancient world... A significant contribution to the discussion... Recommendable to all readers. -- Thomas J. Kraus Review of Biblical Literature This is one of the most stimulating and intelligent of many studies of ancient magic in recent scholarship... -- Ian H. Henderson Toronto Journal of Theology
Awards
Winner of Best First Book in the History of Religions, American Academy of Religion 2008 and Frank W. Beare Award 2008.
Book Information
ISBN 9780231138369
Author Kimberly B. Stratton
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
Naming the Witch is a theoretically and historically sophisticated account of magic and gender in late antiquity that thoroughly denaturalizes both categories. Kimberly B. Stratton makes an excellent contribution to the theoretically informed study of gender, magic, and religion. -- Amy Hollywood, Elizabeth H. Monrad Professor of Christian Studies, Harvard Divinity School Naming the Witch breaks new ground in the contested territory of gender and magic in the ancient world. Kimberly B. Stratton examines charges and practices of magic from ancient Greece to the Babylonian Talmud with a fresh eye and ideological sophistication. Her attentive readings offer insights into gender, magic, and religion that will challenge and engage expert and neophyte alike. -- Mary R. D'Angelo, associate professor of theology, University of Notre Dame, and coeditor of Women in Christian Origins Kimberly B. Stratton provides a fascinating exploration of the ways that people in the ancient Mediterranean world used the idea of 'magic' to marginalize particular groups and thereby reaffirm cultural norms. By juxtaposing four different cultural contexts, she reveals how this discourse of magic, while displaying some consistent features, was modulated to meet particular needs. This lively and stimulating book will be of interest not only to scholars of ancient magic but also to anyone working on gender and social relations. -- J. B. Rives, Kenan Eminent Professor of Classics, the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill Naming the Witch sets a new path in the study of magic. Sensitive to the literary and social conventions of both the classical and Semitic cultures of late antiquity, Kimberly B. Stratton leads us to a new understanding of the mechanisms by which magic does its work in society. This book should be read by all scholars of the period and all who have struggled to theorize about magic. -- Alan F. Segal, professor of religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies, Barnard College
About the Author
Kimberly B. Stratton is an associate professor in the College of Humanities at Carleton University. She grew up in Seattle, holds a B.A. in English and religion from Barnard College, an M.T.S. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in the history of religions in late antiquity from Columbia University. She has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research covers the fields of early Christianity, rabbinic Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture and religion.
Reviews
Naming the Witch is a well argued, well constructed book that can be highly recommended. -- Patrick Maille Bryn Mawr Classical Review A scrupulous and highly innovative study of the phenomenon of "magic" in the ancient world... A significant contribution to the discussion... Recommendable to all readers. -- Thomas J. Kraus Review of Biblical Literature This is one of the most stimulating and intelligent of many studies of ancient magic in recent scholarship... -- Ian H. Henderson Toronto Journal of Theology
Awards
Winner of Best First Book in the History of Religions, American Academy of Religion 2008 and Frank W. Beare Award 2008.
Book Information
ISBN 9780231138369
Author Kimberly B. Stratton
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
