Superstitions and Superstitious Belief

One of the most important tropes for the fantastic is the ghost, a quasi-universal figure that juxtaposes concepts of the real and the unreal, and a very important component of fantastic narrative. Chin Wan (陳雲) notes the way different attitudes towards ghosts in Sinophone culture were shaped by colonialism and public policy: “Influenced by the colonialism of Western culture, Mainland China banned folk customs during the period when modernization was promoted. Chiang Kai-shek’s Republican Party had the (short-lived) ‘New Life Movement,’ while Mao Zedong’s Communist Party of China had ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ and the Cultural Revolution. Only Hong Kong has undergone modernization for one hundred fifty years without doing away with folk customs”[中國大陸受西洋之文化殖民影響，推行現代化期間，都禁制民間風俗，國府之蔣介石有「新生活運動」（為時不長），中共之毛澤東有「破四舊」與文化大革命。唯獨香港現代化一百五十年，不損民間風俗].  Chin’s comments obliquely refer to anti-superstition campaigns that were central to cultural policy from the early modern to the revolutionary period. I return to these campaigns below . . .

This paper is a discussion of the fantastic genre in literature and film. I employ the term genre in this paper in two ways. First, I attempt to define the fantastic as a genre of writing through the emblematic form of the zhiguai. Second, I link this genre of writing to fantastic film, a category of genre film that has dominated the market in China recently. One of the earliest forms of fiction in Chinese literature, zhiguai were often contrasted to textually verifiable historic writing. First, I contrast discussions of zhiguai to modern conceptions of the fantastic and Enlightenment and revolutionary conceptions of narrative and history. The zhiguai share some features with fantastic storytelling in Europe, notably the Gothic tale that emerged in the late eighteenth century. Second, I draw links between state intervention in religion and superstition and the early modern classification of fantastic literature and film. State anti-superstition campaigns in the early twentieth century would frame fantastic films as superstitious (shenguai dianying). Third, I discuss how the fantastic has been framed in the contemporary China. The modern and contemporary fantastic in China is a combination of Chinese and Western categories of the real and the supernatural.

Past scientific investigations of paranormal/superstitious assertions have proven that they have no basis in objective reality. However, there have been a number of studies on the supposition that the full moon causes an increase in aberrant behaviors in human beings and although the studies with negative results seem to be preponderant, a handful have appeared with (questionable) positive results. In 2016 three instances of a “supermoon” occurred, wherein the moon’s perigee to the Earth was the closest. Several state penitentiaries were contacted and their records requested for during those periods. The supposed effect of a full moon would have presumably increased due to the increased proximity of the satellite yet no significant increase in violent behaviors were evident during the “supermoon.”

Research of religious practices in sport typically limits investigation to Christian prayer and/or “superstitions” among professional or collegiate athletes. This study moves in a different direction by examining the religious spiritual practices reported by 13 adolescent competitive athletes in individual interviews and focus groups. With a mix of religious backgrounds among the 15-year-old participants, this sample of males and females reported religious practices such as talking with dead ancestors and different forms of prayer and meditation. The paper categorises these and other practices according to Nancy Tatom Ammerman’s 2014 study, enabling a conceptualisation of how adolescent athletes use religious practices in everyday ways to enable confidence in their play. The study overall points to a significant religious element within competitive youth sports that challenges cynical assumptions about elite athletes' use of religion found in other studies.

Ky artikull eksploron mundësinë dhe interesin për të analizuar historisë semantike të termave të fjalorit të institucioneve që shërbejnë për të shprehur nocionet e nderit dhe besimit. Kjo analizë mundëson një qasje krahasuese në perspektivën e ndërthurur të antropologjisë historike dhe gjuhësore që mund të jetë themelore për të kuptuar raportet ndërmjet vlerave sociale të moralit dhe të fesë. Për të emërtuar fenë dhe besimin, shqiptarët përdorin terma që kanë të njëjtin trung të përbashkët indoeuropian me termat e latinishtes dhe të greqishtes së vjetër. Por edhe fjalë të tjera, që tregojnë vlerat morale të nderit, si betimi dhe fjala e dhënë, si edhe strategjitë për aleanca martesore, mbeten të lidhura me të njëjtat burime në shqip. Në këtë mënyrë, termat e kësaj fushe leksikore tregojnë nocione që janë të rëndësishme për të kuptuar funksionimin e grupit social, familjar e farefisnor, si edhe atë të gjithë shoqërisë. Kështu bëhet e mundur të kuptohet më mirë shprehja e këtij nocioni themelor që mbështetet jo vetëm mbi një kod nderi tepër të rreptë, por edhe mbi struktura farefisnore shumë të forta, mbi përparësinë e fisit e të lidhjeve të gjakut dhe që përfshijnë përgjegjësinë kolektive në mekanizmat komplekse të sistemeve të aleancave dhe hakmarrjeve. Paralelisht, për të kuptuar vlerat morale si edhe natyrën e fesë tek shqiptarët, nuk duhet të nisemi nga subjektiviteti i një besimi apo objektiviteti i një dijeje, por nga marrëdhënia që parimet për nderin dhe praktikat sociale vendosin midis njerëzve. Besimi dhe feja janë thjesht virtyte të nderit, pesha e besimit në fjalën e dhënë.

Der Begriff Hydromantie begegnet uns seit Isidor von Sevillia (Etymologiae VIII 9, 13), der denselben wiederum von Varro übernommen hatte, in allen einschlägigen Texten der mittelalterlichen Superstitions- und Magiekritik von Hrabanus Maurus De magicis artibus über das Decretum Gratiani und Hugo von Stankt Viktors Didascalicon bis in die Summen Thomas von Aquins und über diese hinaus. Dabei bleibt der Begriff stets seltsam leer. Hinter der topischen Aufzählung der Weissagungen aus Erde, Wasser, Luft und Feuer, also geomantia, hydromantia, aeromantia und pyromantia, verbirgt sich keine Vorstellung einer wie auch immer gearteten Divinationspraxis, weder einer historischen, wie noch bei Augustinus (De civitate Dei 7, 35), noch einer zeitgenössischen. Während der Begriff Geomantie seit dem 12. Jahrhundert durch die Identifizierung mit der arabischen ‛ilm al-raml (Sandkunst) einen neuen Gegenstand erhalten hat, bleibt die Hydromantie im Grunde bis heute, nicht anders als die Aeromantie und Pyromantie, eine Signifikante ohne Signifikat, ein leerer Begriff, obwohl es Versuche gab dies zu ändern.  In meinem Vortrag will ich Johannes Hartlieb dabei beobachten, wie er den überkommenen Begriff der „Ydromancia“ in seinem  ‚Buch aller verbotenen Künste‘ (1456) mit neuer Bedeutung füllt und daran zu scheitern droht. Ich werde dabei aufzeigen, dass Hartlieb nicht nur die bestehende Superstitionskritiken weitergeschrieben hat und sich auf selbst Gesehenes und Gehörtes beruft, sondern darüber hinaus auch die fachliterarischen Schriften zur Divination seiner Zeit benutzt hat, die bisher noch in ihren Handschriften vergessen liegen.

A close examination of Russian bodily omens reveals, despite the unscientific character of the associations underlying them, a scientific mind at work in a pre-scientific environment.  Their focus on the anomaly is the first parallel that unites them with science.  Kuhn (1970:52) says that "[d]iscovery commences with the awareness of anomaly, i.e. with the recognition that nature somehow violated the paradigm-induced expectations that govern normal science".  Omens, too, take anomaly as their starting point.  Once a violation of the expected axiological norm is established, the second part of the equation suggests an etiology, constructing a new pattern of regularity which enables one to know what to expect.  This, too, is essentially a scientific move; cf.  Russell's claim that "[t]he desire to know what to expect is a large part of [...] the impulse to scientific investigation” (1948:426).  In a world without science as we know it, this impulse inevitably has no opportunity to develop beyond the establishment of a relationship between the observed anomaly and its interpretation on the basis of similarity, homeopathic associations, and culturally constructed analogy.  As Jahoda points out (1969:143), magic and science share common elements, and the structure of the omens examined above indicates that Russian bodily the death of omens, too, can be seen as a reflection of nascent scientific thinking.

the culture of the Thai Khmer people believed that every human being born must have a "teacher" or a  follow-up god since birth. the local Khmer language is called “Jurm kru kam nard” which will have a welcome ritual at the birth or postpartum for 7 days to symbolize the birth of life. “Jurm kru kam nard” is shown as a welcome to the born within the origin, there are meaningful materials. showing the importance of the way of life and teachings. there are 2 periods of age, the most important is the childhood, infants and young age, shaking the cork, to be considered as one of the important periods of children for the prosperity and happiness of the people. Thai Khmer have important roles and duties 1) roles for receiving newborn babies to protect angels 2) the role that believes that every human being has a guardian angel 3) the role is a symbol of those born and used instead of the deities of angels. values in the belief system between humans and humans and humans and angels and supernatural powers have meaning in the mind considered as a heritage of local wisdom that should inherit treatment should not fade over time.

«El Tratado de la adivinanza de Lope de Barrientos en el contexto europeo», Los reinos peninsulares en el siglo XV: De lo vivido a lo narrado. Encuentro de investigadores en Homenaje a Michel García, hrsg. v. Fernando Toro Ceballos, Andújar: Ayuntamiento, 2015, S. 101-110.

Malian people are very superstitious, although 90% of the population is Muslim and 5% Christian, the superstitions in this country usually are a part of everyday life. Malian superstitions are related to sorcery, fetichism 1 ,maraboutism 2 etc and refers to the belief in an object to have supernatural powers or in particular, a artificial object that has power over others such as komo 3 ,wara 4 ,n'kougéré 5 or worship of rivers, trees and mountains. It is often interpreted as caused by the jealousy, nastiness, egocentricity of a third party who has accomplished bad things from one person to another. Close to surreal, these superstitions are central of many economic and social discussions; many Malians think that superstitions may help to avoid many risks such as health care, and could occur problems which are unrecognized or illegal according to Mali law. This paper investigates the factors which determine superstitions, the role it could play economically and socially in Mali, reporting some preliminary empirical results by demonstrating performance benefits of superstitions and identifying their underlying mental processes particularly to Sénoufo and Dogon people from Sikasso and Badiangara.

This study investigated whether relationships exist among, personal control, coping mechanism, primary control, secondary control and superstitious beliefs.  The participants were 375 Ghanaian student athletes (females =44%). They completed measures of self-reported superstitious beliefs, personal control, coping mechanisms, primary and secondary control strategies. The data were analyzed to evaluate the correlates of both positive and negative superstitious beliefs and how constructs of personal control, coping mechanisms and control strategies, predict positive and negative superstitious beliefs. The results indicated that personal control, coping mechanisms and control strategies were predictors of negative and positive superstitious beliefs. In the final model Exaggerated internal control, God-mediated control, emotional support, and substance use were predictors of negative superstitions. Exaggerated internal control, Substance use, Emotional support and Acceptance were predictors of positive superstitions. Athletes may activate different types of superstitious beliefs to cope and gain control in situations of uncertainty.
Key Words: Ghana, coping mechanism, personal control, primary control, secondary control, and positive and negative superstitious beliefs.

The present study was aimed to identify the role of superstitious behavior in performance of basketball players. For this purpose, sixty female basketball players of 19 to 25 years of age were selected. All the subjects, after having been informed about the objective and protocol of the study, gave their consent and volunteered to participate in this study. They were divided into three groups; (i.e., N1=20; District, N2=20; State and N3=20 National). To measure the level of superstitions behaviors of the subjects, the superstitions beliefs and behaviour scale constructed by Bleak and Frederick (1998) was administered. One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to compare the three groups of basketball. Where F values were found significant, LSD (Least Significant Difference) Post-hoc test was applied to find out the direction and degree of difference. For testing the hypotheses, the level of significance was set at 0.05. Summarizing from the above findings we can say that insignificant differences were found in basketball players on the sub-variables of Clothing and Appearance, Fetish, Preparation, Game/Competition, Team Ritual, Prayer, Coach and superstitions behavior.

This research is the objective: 1. to study the wisdom and the integration of beliefs in the rituals of the four tribes in Sisaket Province, 2. to study the integration of the beliefs of the community and the Buddhist principles of rituals of the community of the tribes in Sisaket Province, 3. to analyze the wisdom and integration of beliefs in self-management of four tribal communities of the tribes in Sisaket Province. This research is integrated qualitative research, is qualitative research by studying the scriptures, related the documents throughout the research of the people who have learned,  Including operational information such as in-depth interviews, Subgroup meetings and to organize the academic community, and related sectors also known as field data collection. The details are as follows; The results of the research: Buddhism’s Tradition is the foundation of Thai culture because Thai people respect Buddhism for a long time, the Buddhism has influenced the Thai people, in terms of morality, ethics, morality, and objectivity, which are conveyed in the form of festivals and rituals, they are: (1 ) make to live in the framework of good traditions (2) to create local pride (4) to create the love and unity among the group (5) to be the benefit of the economy and (6) to contribute to support the nation of the town’s community to develop the ideology of the community in Sisaket province. It is the result of a combination of belief systems about Buddhism, Brahmanism, and ghost worship which expressed in the rituals and traditions of the community.
The integration of faith is in the rituals of the four tribal communities, It is a ritual of the combination of beliefs of the villagers. It is a ploy to keep members of society under good social order, By the Buddhist faith and Brahmanism are combined with local beliefs. It is a pattern of human-made social activities. These may be due to religious beliefs, customary customs, which result in coexistence. The tradition also
teaches people to respect the senior system. The expression in the form of ritual. The four-tribal faith mix. It has developed into a traditional form that combines four tribes to perform rituals together, expression of harmony, and uniting through rituals that convey the wisdom and beliefs of the community.Based on an analysis of the wisdom, integration, beliefs, and rituals of the four tribes in Sisaket province, the "community wisdom" was instrumental in resolving family problems, Economic problems. Therefore, the researcher analyzed the heart of the culture from the wisdom of the area, that the researcher has studied four areas.1.to find the importance of the wisdom culture through beliefs, prohibitions, and practices 2.to compare the phenomena with the community to set up the principles for development.
3.to analyze the linking brainstorming activities to create an activity plan by introducing the beliefs, prohibition, and applying it as a development activity. so faith is important to the context, to connect with the context of the community. to see the solution to the problem of how to take care of cherished as a unique identity.
(1) the bowing up the Sa-nai is to take care of the community in terms of sacred energy, to take care of themselves, their families, and to make good deeds for the children. (2) Memad dance is to take care of the community in order to strengthen the spirit of the spirit that must be given to each other to encourage parents to get close to their children.(3) The Santhanta ritual is the care of the community in relation to kinship, family and children.(4)The twelfth traditions are the care of the community independence to make love to the community. Because of the inheritance of the belief tradition in the twelfth heat that has been practiced since the past to the present time.

Losbücher, in denen der Leser durch Würfeln oder über ein Losrad zu einem bestimmten Losspruch geleitet wird, wurden in der germanistischen Forschung bislang vor allem als mantische Wahrsagetexte wahrgenommen. Die wesentliche Leistung dieser handschriftenzentrierten kulturhistorischen Studie ist es, dieses Verständnis als Fortschreiben des christlich-theologischen Magiediskurses des Mittelalters zu dekonstruieren. Der Blick in die Handschriften zeigt vielmehr, dass Losbücher nur selten als magisch-mantische Texte ausgegrenzt wurden, sondern als astrologische oder unterhaltende Texte gelesen werden konnten, in die christliche Glaubenspraxis integriert wurden und sogar im Sinn einer Mahnung vor der Wechselhaftigkeit des irdischen Glücks zu einer christlichen, jenseitsorientierten Lebensführung anleiten sollten. Das Buch bietet neben einer Textsortenanalyse die Edition des Würfellosbuchs ‚der morgen stern‘ und einen Katalog der 53 Losbuchtexte des Manuskriptzeitalters sowie der 50 bekannten deutschsprachigen Losbuchhandschriften.

Unless the marital rape results in the wife succumbing to injuries, the story never steps out of the four walled room. She has been taken control of and molded by her in laws to fit right in, making her a robot in denial mode. Hence, such injustice done to her is anything but a crime, in her controlled eyes. It is that offence which never gets reported and the criminal roams around freely waiting to repeat his actions in the night that follows.

The public interest in astrology and horoscopes has grown promptly over the last few years just because of its popularity and so-called entertaining value in it. But there are some people who believe in them credulously as if they are the only important thing in their lives although they are believed to be a superstition around the world. Majority of people especially in India still believe in them in a very assertive manner and that causes some characteristic flaws in people.

Petroșani Depression provided in time perfect conditions for high quality coal formation. The development of the coal mining centers began since the mid of the nineteenth century, during the Austro-Hungarian Imperial occupation.
The first mine opened in Jiu Valley in 1859 in Petrila, when began to come here Hungarian, Czech, Polish and Italian workers. The opening of the mine offered jobs for those “strangers” and for the local rural people also. This was the way how a miners’ community was born, with workers that had different identities, religion, language and old customs.
The miners always had to face the hard work and life from the underground. In order to survive and to keep the faith they would exit in safe conditions, they created their own rituals. Once they entered in the coal mine, they had specific beliefs and superstitions. They make each other specific greetings at the beginning of the day work. They have created their own legends, folklore and individual and collective “language”.
The mine became a specific sacred space itself, an important part of the miners’ life. On the 30 of October 2015 Petrila Mine has been closed.

The Irish have arrived in Jamaica since the 1600s by force, by recruitment, as indentured servants, as adventurers and some by choice. Anglo-Irish ‘gentry’ acquired vast tracts of land for service to William of Orange and James II.  Most did not live in Jamaica but assumed the role of Absentee landlords.
The presence of Irish people is noticeable in many of the characteristics of Jamaicans, as well as in place names, surnames, and dry stonewalls in higher agricultural land used for animal rearing. A study of these artefacts will lead to a greater understanding of the links between the countries concerned and more importantly allow both to reclaim another vital piece of their his/her story.

The identification of deviant burials as those of ‘vampires’ is a feature of excavated skeletons from sites across Eastern, Central and Southern Europe as well as the Balkans. Based on a close reading of historic and folkloric sources researchers have sought to match features of excavated sites with narrative descriptions drawn from vampire legend and myth. This study critically reviews the recent claims based on sites in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovakia. Whilst it is found that there was a widespread belief in vampires across Europe, it is argued that it is difficult to make absolute claims for ‘vampire’ burials on archaeological grounds as in most cases there are alternate and equally compelling interpretations of the data.

KEYWORDS
ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY, SIXTEENTH CENTURY, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, VAMPIRE, DEVIANT BURIAL, PLAGUE, BLACK DEATH, FOLKLORE, PAGAN, BURIAL, WITCH, BALKANS, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, BULGARIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, POLAND, GREECE, ITALY, SLOVAKIA, LESBOS, VENICE, APOTROPAIC, VAMPIRIDZHIJA, PERPERIKON, SOZOPOL, PROSTEJOV, CELAKOVICE, DRAWSKO, GLIWICI, SOUTHWELL, KILTEASHEEN, LAZZARETTO NUOVO, NACHTZEHRER, KAMIEN POMORSKI

A tanulmány az I. világháború idején, Magyarországon megjelent katolikus katona imakönyveket elemzi. Közel húsz könyvről, és azoknak számos kiadásáról tudunk. Mellettük imalapok és kézzel másolt, mágikus funkciójú imaszövegek (golyó elleni imák) is előkerültek. Ezeket és a korabeli sajtó anyagait felhasználva rekonstruálja a frontokon zajló vallási életet, ezen belül is az imádkozás gyakorlatát és funkcióját. Kitér a háborús pasztorációban hangsúlyossá váló Jézus Szíve tiszteletre is, arra keresve a választ, miként tudott ez a kultusz a katonák spirituális erőforrásává válni. Emellett azt vizsgálja, hogy a könyvekben és imáikban milyen egyházi vélekedés rajzolódott ki a háborúról és a keresztény katonáról.

From amazon.com:
""Whoever needs an act of faith to elucidate an event that can be explained by reason is a fool, and unworthy of reasonable thought." This line, spoken by the notorious 18th-century libertine Giacomo Casanova, illustrates a deeply entrenched perception of religion, as prevalent today as it was hundreds of years ago. It is the sentiment behind the narrative that Catholic beliefs were incompatible with the Enlightenment ideals. Catholics, many claim, are superstitious and traditional, opposed to democracy and gender equality, and hostile to science. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that Casanova himself was a Catholic. In The Catholic Enlightenment, Ulrich Lehner points to such figures as representatives of a long-overlooked thread of a reform-minded Catholicism, which engaged Enlightenment ideals with as much fervor and intellectual gravity as anyone. Their story opens new pathways for understanding how faith and modernity can interact in our own time.

Lehner begins two hundred years before the Enlightenment, when the Protestant Reformation destroyed the hegemony Catholicism had enjoyed for centuries. During this time the Catholic Church instituted several reforms, such as better education for pastors, more liberal ideas about the roles of women, and an emphasis on human freedom as a critical feature of theology. These actions formed the foundation of the Enlightenment's belief in individual freedom. While giants like Spinoza, Locke, and Voltaire became some of the most influential voices of the time, Catholic Enlighteners were right alongside them. They denounced fanaticism, superstition, and prejudice as irreconcilable with the Enlightenment agenda.

In 1789, the French Revolution dealt a devastating blow to their cause, disillusioning many Catholics against the idea of modernization. Popes accumulated ever more power and the Catholic Enlightenment was snuffed out. It was not until the Second Vatican Council in 1962 that questions of Catholicism's compatibility with modernity would be broached again.

Ulrich Lehner tells, for the first time, the forgotten story of these reform-minded Catholics. As Pope Francis pushes the boundaries of Catholicism even further, and Catholics once again grapple with these questions, this book will prove to be required reading."

Can science tell us what’s objectively true? Or is it merely a clever way to cure doubt – to give us something to believe in, whether it’s true or not? In this essay, I look at the pragmatist account of science expounded by Charles Sanders Peirce in his 1877 essay, ‘The Fixation of Belief’. Against Peirce, I argue that science does not come naturally to our species, nor does the doubting open-mindedness upon which its practice relies. To the extent that science is successful in ‘curing’ doubt, it’s because it tracks the real state of the world; and I argue that Peirce himself – his pragmatist narrative notwithstanding – is implicitly committed to this view as well.

In India and elsewhere, exaggerated imaginary mythological stories or puráńas are often mistaken as history. Superstitious and harmful ideas like the caste system have their origin in puráńas. P.R. Sarkar makes a clear distinction among history as chronological records, history that has educative value, such as the Mahábhárata, which is based on historical facts, and books that carry moral lessons without a historical context, such as the Rámáyańa, a puráńa where all the characters are fictional. Due to ignorance of history, Puráńas can plant seeds of superstitions that are harmful to society. According to P. R. Sarkar, it is time to remove such superstitions through rationality and the light of history and scientific understanding.  P. R. Sarkar (1922-1990) was a spiritual guru and founder of Renaissance Universal to promote worldwide social and cultural renaissance, and the international socio-spiritual organization Ananda Marga (“Path of Bliss”). – Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, December 20, 2020.

The purpose of this paper is to present a clearer picture of Johann Weyer's conception of possession and exorcism by synthesizing various elements of his De Praestigiis Daemonum, and comparing these elements with Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Where appropriate, the two authors will also be compared with relevant contemporary Catholic authors, in order to better highlight the broader context in which they were writing. A particular emphasis is placed on what Weyer and Scot's views on possession and exorcism indicate about their broader religious and supernatural beliefs. To engage with these issues, the essay is broken into two parts. The first looks at how each author understood demons and the problem of demonic possession. The second examines how they engaged with exorcism as it was commonly practiced in the sixteenth century. The essay concludes by examining what the similarities between Johann Weyer and Reginald Scot mean for our understanding of the sixteenth century, and each author's broader ideas.

The present literature review focused on social and psychological factors associated with superstition. The literature included conceptual definition of superstition, prevalence and its probable underlying factors. It also sheds light upon the pros and cons for adherence with superstitious beliefs. Number of online articles published in peer reviewed journals, book reviews, abstracts, conference proceedings and dissertations were reviewed with a specific focus for psychosocial effects of superstition. The findings revealed that superstitious beliefs are widely spread and there are socio-learning predispositions which lie at backdrop of superstition. Superstition casts negative and positive influences on psychological health of individuals. Overall the paper is a worthy contribution for articulated understanding of phenomenon of superstition and its associated factors which opens horizons for further related and in depth inquiries.

Alicudi è una delle più piccole e selvagge isole dell'arcipelago vulcanico delle Eolie insieme a Filicudi, la sua gemella. Nel folklore eoliano il nome di Alicudi è associato da sempre a storie fantastiche e misteriose: mahare (streghe) che in volo raggiungono Palermo o addirittura l'Africa, esseri umani che si trasformano in animali, pescatori che conoscono formule magiche per 'tagliare' le trombe marine, indovini, oracoli e altre misteriose presenze. Folklore, radici sciamaniche e ipotesi misteriche.

While a generation of theorists assumed that secularization was a necessary outcome of modernization, a newer group of scholars have argued that Western Christendom constructed a normative binary opposition between the " religious " and the " secular, " which it then attempted to impose globally. This putative binary has been interrogated in a number of ways. This paper articulates a productive recent line of approach, I initially proposed in The Invention of Religion in Japan, 2012, which was to introduce a third term— " superstition " —into the model. Succinctly put, " superstition " was often seen as both the false double of " religion " and a crucial enemy of scientific truth and the secular state. Thus, I argue focusing on the excluded term in this trinary can provide insights into the way in which all three categories are mutually constituted. It also opens the door for the re-theorization of " secularism " and its historic ideological features.

আবুল মনসুর আহমদ ছিলেন একজন সমাজ সচেতন এবং জীবনঘনিষ্ঠ সাহিত্যিক। সমাজ এবং পরিপার্শ্বের ধর্মীয় এবং রাজনৈতিক কুসংস্কার, বিরোধ, ভণ্ডামি এবং ধর্মব্যবসার বিপক্ষে তিনি সারাজীবন সোচ্চার ছিলেন।

সুতীক্ষ্ণ দৃষ্টিতে মানুষের এই বিভ্রম এবং বিপথগামিতাকে যেমন লক্ষ্য করেছেন, একইসাথে তা হাস্যরসের মাধ্যমে পাঠকের সামনে তুলে ধরে তার অন্তর্নিহিত বেদনাটুকু পাঠকের হৃদয়ে জাগ্রত করার চেষ্টা করেছেন। এজন্যই তাঁর পক্ষে 'আদুভাই'য়ের মত সূক্ষ্ম রসবোধসম্পন্ন সুপরিচিত হাস্যরসের গল্প লেখা যেমন সম্ভব হয়েছে, একইসাথে সমাজে জেঁকে বসা পীরপ্রথার কুৎসিত দিকগুলোকে যথাযথ রূপে উপস্থাপন করতে 'হুযুর কেবলা'র মত কালজয়ী শক্তিশালী গল্পও তিনি লিখতে পেরেছেন।

Entre los siglos XV y XVIII, aproximadamente 50.000 personas fueron ejecutadas en Europa tras ser culpadas del crimen de brujería. Entre los actos por los que fueron castigadas se incluían la utilización de magia nociva, el establecimiento de un pacto con Satán, haber mantenido relaciones sexuales con demonios o formar parte de un complot multitudinario y clandestino para la destrucción de la cristiandad. Lo que en la actualidad puede parecer, a primera vista, el resultado de un pasado irracional y oscurantista, en verdad era la expresión –brutal, ciertamente– de una forma de entender la naturaleza, la historia, la teología y la política distinta a la contemporánea, pero perfectamente racional, coherente con el universo cultural, intelectual y conceptual en el cual se desarrolló. Se hacía necesario un análisis de los fundamentos intelectuales de la caza de brujas, el conjunto de ideas y representaciones que permitió llevar a cabo y justificar la represión de un delito inexistente, a través de los tratados demonológicos publicados por miembros de la elite cultural (ministros religiosos, teólogos, médicos) en Inglaterra entre el siglo XVI y el XVII. Partiendo de la historia cultural e intelectual, se accede a la forma en que los autores caracterizaban las relaciones entre lo humano, lo divino y lo diabólico en un contexto histórico permeado por las profundas transformaciones producidas por la Reforma protestante

ABSTRACT
The Jacobean era's infamous witchcraft trials are recalled after reservoir repairs close to Pendle Hill reveal a buried cottage with bricked‐up cat. Interpretations of the building as the site of Malkin Tower, recorded in court records as the venue of a witches coven are critically evaluated in the light of archaeological and historical evidence.

KEYWORDS
WITCH, PENDLE WITCH TRIALS, PENDLE HILL, MALKIN TOWER, FOLK BELIEF, MAGIC, LANCASTER ASSIZES, WISE WOMEN, CUNNING FOLK, ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY, SEVENTEENTHCENTURY, ALIZON DEVICE, SALEM WITCHES, THOMAS POTTS, LOWER BLACK MOSS, ELIZABETH SOUTHERNS, DEMDIKE, ELIZABETH DEVICE, JAMES DEVICE, ANNE WHITTLE, CHATTOX, ANNE REDFERNE, JANE BULCOCK, JOHN BULCOCK, ALICE NUTTER, KATHERINE HEWITT, ALICE GRAY, JENNET PRESTON, GUNPOWDER PLOT, CAT

ABSTRACT: This lecture (Part-2) continues the examination of Old Kingdom elite tombs, looking at (1) other types of middle-upper class tombs that emerge in Old Kingdom Egypt (i.e., rock-cut tombs; rock-cut mastaba tombs); (2) various reasons why such apparently “different” tombs emerge and whether they really are so different (i.e., identical components; non-structural elements); (3) ancient tomb robbing, robbers, and how some tomb builders/owners try to combat robbery (e.g., decoy chambers); (4) a brief discussion of changes in tomb design during the ED-Old Kingdom; (5) the sorts of texts and decoration (genres) found in middle-upper class tombs; (6) the artists and various techniques applied in decorating elite tombs (e.g., training; painting; relief work; stages; etc.); (7) the various ways in which Ancient Egyptian artists portrayed things (e.g., twisted profile; architecture); (8) the various types of decorative themes that emerged in Old Kingdom elite tombs; (9) the significance of the various decoration (genres) found throughout elite tombs (e.g., essential/key funerary elements [e.g., banquet scene] versus less crucial/non-essential things [e.g., daily life and other scenes]); (10) other things we can say about the elite tomb architecture, decoration, and their significance (e.g., nullifying potential dangers in decoration [depicting snakes without heads]; superstitions regarding completing funeral procession scenes); (11) the different types of elite burial chambers and examples of and changes in  decorated ones (versus mostly non-decorated ones); (12) some examples of non-royal sarcophagi (i.e., “stone coffins”: rectilinear boxes); (13) selected examples of non-royal, elite coffins (i.e., wooden, rectilinear boxes); (14) some "typical" mortuary furnishings (burial goods) found in elite tombs; and (15) the forms of and furnishings in middle class and lower class tombs and graves (only a brief summary to illustrate the burial practices of the bulk of Egypt's Old Kingdom populace).  The lecture ends with a series of text slides summarizing the main points from both parts 1-2 of the lectures on elite Old Kingdom tombs.  UPDATED: March 13, 2023. Much editing/formatting, plus some new images, and adding a selected set of sources (end slides)