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The Limits of Magic
Author(s) -
Laderman Carol
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1997.99.2.333
Subject(s) - magic (telescope) , malay , shamanism , etiology , scope (computer science) , medical diagnosis , variety (cybernetics) , psychology , history , sociology , medicine , linguistics , psychiatry , computer science , philosophy , archaeology , pathology , artificial intelligence , physics , programming language , quantum mechanics
This is the case of a Malay shaman who narrowed the scope of her diagnoses to magic, evoking scorn from her colleagues and alarm from rural patients accustomed to a variety of illness etiologies. But she found success as part of a team catering to urban Malays. Her performance satisfied expectations of clients unused to traditional shamanism and set the stage for acceptance of her partner's diagnoses couched in "common sense," educated, urbane language which nevertheless restored elements of Malay illness etiology she had discarded.