Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande

I am in an anthropology class that studies magic, witchcraft,and healing among other cultures. This book was assigned for the class.Evans-Pritchard explains everything in great detail, and although the book is over 70 years old, he makes the culture seem alive to the reader. E-P doesn't write as though the Azande witchcraft beliefs are inferior to our own, and he admits that while he lived among them, he accepted their beliefs. He explains, at length, that their beliefs are just as logical as our own, they just stem from different premises. The writing itself is very clear and concise, and I have had no problems reading 120 pages of it over the weekend. It's genuinely interesting and reads almost like a novel. The main ideas are easy to catch and highlight, so it is an easy book to study. E-P doesn't bog the reader down in details but adequately explains everything of the Azande's beliefs. His analysis of the beliefs are objective and easy to follow, yet not condescending. Overall, a very interesting book that I would recommend to anybody who is interested in anthropology in general or religious beliefs of other cultures in particular.

Evans Pritchard is one of the foremost anthropologist in the twentieth century as well as being one of the first to do serious work in Africa. In this book his main focus is the three oracles of the Azande in the Sudan. These being in order of decreasing importance: the poison oracle, the termite oracle, and the rubbing board oracle. He spent extended time researching and was directly feed information from an informant who being taught the secrets of witchdoctors. On the negative side it does have a somewhat condescending tone to African Culture as well as to Africans in general. However, this takes away little from the whole product. the Abridged version is almost as good as the unabridged and is well worth the read.

Evans Pritchard is an essential contributor to the study of anthropology--a must read for any student of culture.