Who Defines Magic? Reflections on Witchcraft, Scholarship, and the Case of the Croatian Krsnik

This paper examines disciplinary tensions surrounding the definition and interpretation of magic, which sprung out of a debate during a PhD dissertation proposal and is based on the ethnographic and historical case of the Croatian krsnik. Drawing on both historical and anthropological perspectives, it argues that the concept of magic cannot be employed generically but must be understood contextually and relationally – as a product of discourse, authority, and historical contingency. Through examples from seventeenth- to twenty-first-century sources, the paper highlights the shifting meanings and uses of "magic" and calls for a reflexive, dialogic approach to its scholarly study.

definition of magic · disciplinary tensions · folk healing · historical contingency · Magic · Reflexivity · Witchcraft · Anthropological Studies and Insights · European Linguistics and Anthropology · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies