Powers of Good and Evil: Social Transformation and Popular Belief

Summary:A key theme in the anthropology of beliefs is the relationship between socio-economic change and changes in the belief system. It has been widely argued that rapid economic change, particularly the introduction of capitalism, leads to an increase in beliefs in, and representations of, evil and the devil. These beliefs, it is argued, constitute forms of resistance to, or rejection of, "modernity." This volume builds on these arguments, suggesting that rather than an indigenous resistance to capitalism, such representations signal a profound moral ambivalence towards the socio-economic process inherent in capitalist economy. Using a range of examples, from Surinamese zombies to American horror films, it demonstrates the extent to which evil imagery is linked to a fear of excess, particularly in situations where people find themselves, or perceive themselves, to be peripheral to the centers of political, economic, and cultural power.-- Contents: Introduction / Jon P. Mitchell Dangerous creatures and the enchantment of modern life / Bonno Thoden van Velzen and Ineke van Wetering Witchcraft and new forms of wealth : regional variations in South and West Cameroon / Peter Geschiere The Devil, Satanism and the evil eye in contemporary Malta / Jon P. Mitchell "You Devil, go away from me!" Pentecostalist African Christianity and the powers of good and evil / Birgit Meyer Modernity, crisis and the rise of charismatic Catholicism in the Maltese Islands / Nadia Theuma Good, evil and godhood : Mormon morality in the material world / Hildi J. Mitchell The state and the empire of evil / Jojada Verrips The iconography of evil in Maltese art / Isabelle Borg Conclusions : The political economy behind the powers of good and evil / Paul Clough.…