The Meanings of Magic

establishment of a new journal titled Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft begs the what do these mean? In what sense do they comprise a academic category or field of inquiry? of magic and the cultural functions it in a of Grand anthropological and theories offer clear structures, and the classic definitions of and still rever-berate through much scholarly work on this While aspects of these theories remain useful, more recent studies have tended to take a much nar-rower approach, examining the specific forms that magic, magical rites, or witchcraft assume and the issues they create in particular periods and within particular societies. This has led to laudable focus and precision, yet it has also stifled communication between scholars working in different periods, regions, or disciplines. This journal is intended to promote such communication, and to provide a forum in which issues common to the study of magic in all contexts can be raised. Therefore, it will prove useful at the outset to some the significance of a category, about the meanings it has and the approaches it has some of the ways which the study of magic might be advanced, and about some of the areas to which such further study might