Ethiopian Studies I: Magic, Medicine, and Religion

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Centre for Medieval Studies, Univ. of Toronto; Societas Magica

Organizer Name

Augustine Dickinson

Organizer Affiliation

Centre for Medieval Studies, Univ. of Toronto

Presider Name

Augustine Dickinson

Paper Title 1

Tewaney: The Forgotten Giant of Ethiopian Magic and Mystical Poetry

Presenter 1 Name

Fresenbet G.Y Adhanom

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Qəddəst Śəllāse Manfasāwi Yunivarsiti

Paper Title 2

Securing Blessing (Come What May) versus Providing Protection (by Any Means): The Goal of Invoking God's Name in Ethiopian Tradition

Presenter 2 Name

Fisseha Tadesse Feleke

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of Toronto

Paper Title 3

Is There an Ethiopian "Magic"?

Presenter 3 Name

Gidena Mesfin Kebede

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Technische Univ. Berlin

Start Date

9-5-2019 10:00 AM

Session Location

Schneider 1350

Description

The relationship between magic and religious faith, clearly highlighted in the divergent description of the same items as “magic scrolls” or “scrolls of spiritual healing,” leads us to interrogate the ways that supernatural phenomena, whether divine or demonic, adhere to similar patterns in the minds of the faithful. Accordingly, this session invites explorations of any aspect of Ethiopian or Horn of Africa magical or magico-medicinal practice, including the lines between religiously sanctioned healing processes and magic, syncretic traditions in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and cross-cultural study of traditions which are shared with Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

- Sean M. Winslow