Accusations: Gossip

09/13/13 • 22 min

In the previous three lectures, we have, for the purpose of analysis, distinguished the witch of our imagination. When someone is accused of being a witch, some of the qualities of the witch image are attributed. So how does the imagined quality (the image of the witch) become attached to a real person? In this lecture, we look at how someone is identified as a witch.

Previous Episode

Cannibal Mothers

In previous lectures, we have looked at how we can we analyze the image of the witch. Mair says the witch image represents the opposite of good. Needham says it is a synthesis of primary factors. As we will see in this lecture, Stephen, an anthropologist who has researched the Mekeo and the Balinese, says that the image of the witch is a fantasy the child has about the mother.

Next Episode

Accusations: Who Gets Accused?

In the previous lecture, we looked at the “how” of identification. Now we will look at who is involved. I proposed that identification, in many cases, works through accusation that is gossiped. In this lecture, I want to look at the ‘who’ of identification. So the question now is “who is identified as a witch or a sorcerer?” I look at three explanations. First, the witch or sorcerer is a type of person, be it unsociable, marginalize etc. Second, the witch or sorcerer is identified through a relationship with the accuser. In particular, the relationship may be strained—between people who should get along but do not, for example.