Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip

A Groundbreaking Anthropological Study of Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Social Power

Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip by Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern is a landmark work in the anthropology of belief, social control, and the hidden forces that shape communities. Part of the prestigious New Departures in Anthropology series from Cambridge University Press, this book examines how accusations of witchcraft and sorcery function not merely as superstition — but as powerful social mechanisms that regulate behavior, express conflict, and enforce community norms across cultures worldwide.

Drawing on decades of fieldwork across Papua New Guinea, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Stewart and Strathern reveal the deep logic behind beliefs that outsiders too often dismiss as primitive or irrational.

What This Book Covers

• The anthropological theory of witchcraft and sorcery across diverse cultures
• How rumors and gossip function as instruments of social control and moral enforcement
• Case studies from Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Africa, and the Western world
• The relationship between witchcraft accusations and gender, power, and inequality
• How modernity and globalization have transformed — not eliminated — witchcraft beliefs
• The role of fear, envy, and community tension in generating accusations
• Comparative analysis of sorcery systems across cultures and historical periods

Why This Book Matters

Witchcraft and sorcery are not relics of the past. They remain living, active belief systems in communities across the globe — and even in the West, rumors and gossip perform many of the same social functions. Stewart and Strathern's comparative approach reveals the universal human dynamics at work beneath the surface of these beliefs, making this book essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how communities manage fear, conflict, and deviance.

Who This Book Is For

• Students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, and religious studies
• Researchers studying African, Melanesian, or indigenous belief systems
• Historians of religion, magic, and folk practice
• Anyone interested in the social psychology of rumor, gossip, and moral panic
• Readers exploring the intersection of power, belief, and community life

About the Authors

Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern are a husband-and-wife team of anthropologists at the University of Pittsburgh, widely regarded as two of the world's leading experts on Melanesian societies and the anthropology of religion and ritual. Together they have authored and edited dozens of books and hundreds of articles.

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