List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Sorting Out Resemblances 4 Circumstances for Imagining Evil 6 Evil in the Perspective of This Book 9 Chapter 2: An Architecture for Chaos: The Nature and Function of Demonology 13 Thinking with Demons 13 Demonology, Lists, and Temples 15 Beyond the Temple: Demonology among Scribes and Ritual Experts 19 Conclusions 26 Chapter 3: Experts in the Identification of Evil 31 Prophets, Exorcists, and the Popular Reception of Demonology 33 Witch-Finders: Charisma in the Discernment of Evil 37 The Possessed as Discerners of Evil 48 Contemporary Forms of Expertise in the Discernment of Evil: Secular and Religious 53 Conclusions: Expertise and the Depiction of Satanic Conspiracy 69 Chapter 4: Rites of Evil: Constructions of Maleficent Religion and Ritual 73 Ritual as a Point of Otherness 76 Ritual and the Monstrous Realm 85 Ritual as a Point of Danger 101 The Implications of Evil Rites 119 Chapter 5: Imputations of Perversion 129 The Imaginative Resources of the Monstrous 129 Constructing the Monstrous 136 Conclusions 158 Chapter 6: The Performance of Evil 168 Performance and Demonic Realms 169 Direct Mimetic Performance 179 Indirect Mimetic Performance 188 Direct Mimetic Parody 198 Conclusions 203 Chapter 7: Mobilizing against Evil 208 Contemplating Evil, Chasing Evil 208 Matters of Fact and Fantasy 212 Notes 225 Select Bibliography 259 Index 281
David Frankfurter's valuable, well-written study takes us to the far reaches of demonology. In documenting the harm done by labeling others evil, he poses a challenge to those of us who believe, however regretfully, in the necessity of the concept. -- Robert Jay Lifton, author of "The Nazi Doctors" and "The Genocidal Mentality" David Frankfurter has taken a sensationalist topic and given it a serious, sober, and thoroughly enlightening treatment. At the heart of moral panics--witch crazes, red scares, rumors of Satanic ritual abuse, and others--he perceives not evil as an entity or sinister force, but rather a discourse of evil that draws on old traditions and common fantasies to stimulate horror, shock, and also prurient pleasure. Repeatedly, this volatile mix proves capable of inflaming passions and spawning violent campaigns whose excesses all too predictably fall on society's most marginal, and therefore most vulnerable, members. Drawing on a great many examples and much prior research, he makes a strong--and profoundly moral--argument. -- Bruce Lincoln, University of Chicago David Frankfurter's valuable, well-written study takes us to the far reaches of demonology. In documenting the harm done by labeling others evil, he poses a challenge to those of us who believe, however regretfully, in the necessity of the concept. -- Robert Jay Lifton, M.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus, City University of New York Challenging the idea of evil being a reality beyond human comprehension, David Frankfurter's sharp and original analysis explores how this very idea produces a terrifying, unsettling reality of its own. The great merit of this elegantly written, substantial book is that it moves us beyond a rather particularistic attitude toward separate, locally bounded cases and shows that there is a system in the variegated realm of evil. -- Birgit Meyer, Free University Amsterdam A significant contribution to several fields including comparative religions, ancient and contemporary religious history, and even literary criticism. Frankfurter's approach--looking at evil not as some force or essence but as a discourse--is highly original. -- Hugh Urban, Ohio State University Engrossing and well-informed, Evil Incarnate presents a cornucopia of amazing material in lucid prose, cogently organized and constructed into an engaging argument. Few authors have the range, the vision, and the boldness to break through the disciplinary and chronological boundaries to bring off a book like this. -- Charles Stewart, University College London
David Frankfurter is Professor of Religious Studies and History at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of the acclaimed "Religion in Roman Egypt" (Princeton), which won the 1999 award for excellence in the historical study of religion from the American Academy of Religion.
Winner of the 2007 Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion, Analytical-Descriptive Studies category, American Academy of Religion "Mr. Frankfurter ... shows just how similar stories about evil have been... [E]vil recurs in predictably familiar form... Mr. Frankfurter outlines these repeated elements with illuminating clarity and wide-ranging learning... Using the term evil, he argues, prevents us from understanding context and cause; it places something beyond the human and that's when trouble starts... But when the word is applied to an act, we know just precisely what it means: There is no human excuse."--Edward Rothstein, The New York Times "In a thought-provoking ... study ... Frankfurter draws on religion, sociology and anthropology to uncover the reasons that societies publicly raise cries of demonic conspiracies to explain various social evils... Frankfurter convincingly demonstrates that demonic conspiracies and satanic ritual abuse bare simply myths of evil conspiracies that provide societies an excuse for bullying those who are already considered suspect. He observes trenchantly that those seeking to purge demonic conspiracies have done more violence than the devotees of those so-called evil groups... [H]is judicious insights about the nature of evil in our world provide thoughtful glimpses at the ways societies demonize the Other."--Publishers Weekly "[A] fascinating, even gripping, study... [It] merits widespread attention and careful study."--Dale B. Martin, Church History "[A] brilliant, if terrifying, study."--Dennis P. Quinn, Religious Studies Review "Frankfurter explores the social phenomenon of belief in evil conspiracy throughout Western history from the second century C.E. to the very recent past... Evil Incarnate quite successfully does what it claims to do, namely explore a social phenomenon, the way in which a certain kind of myth has functioned in different historical circumstances to produce social cohesion and to provide a medium for thinking about danger, inversion and otherness... Evil Incarnate also provides scholars with a wide range of interesting avenues for further study."--Heidi Marx-Wolf, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Interpreting and explaining stories and activities, Frankfurter takes us far away and long ago. He also takes the reader through a lot of different ground with regard to the subjects of analysis, and thus he produces and uses many theoretical perspectives... It does, however, make for fascinating reading... In addition to his chapter on 'rites of evil,' I was particularly taken with his ritual analysis of the performance of evil."--Asbjorn Dyrendal, Numen "This meticulously researched and clearly argued book questions the reality of evil and will be welcomed by those, including myself, who join David Frankfurter in casting doubt upon the meaning of this dangerous and destructive idea."--Phillip Cole, Journal of Religion "Frankfurter has written an excellent account of how panics about Satanism have periodically erupted in Europe, North America, and postcolonial Africa. He pulls no punches in concluding that 'no evidence has ever been found to verify the atrocities as historical events.' The terrible irony that emerges from Frankfurter's work is that 'the real atrocities of history seem to take place not in the perverse ceremonies of some evil cult but rather in the course of purging such cults from the world."--Richard J. McNally, PhycCRITIQUES "Frankfurter's book, Evil Incarnate, is a scholarly, interdisciplinary work grounded in meticulous research... What is riveting, here, is the way the myth of evil incarnate takes on new shapes with the arrival of new cultural collisions. What is exciting is his non-reductive causal approach, and the fluid, multi-layered perspectives from which he engages his topic."--Sue Grand, Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society "This is indeed a thought-provoking study and is strongly recommended for students of religion, culture and society. The discourses of evil are real in all our lives and understanding the dynamics that propagate them and turn them into unspeakable violence can liberate people and assist humanity in the journey towards peace and integration."--Dr. Rodney Moss, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae "This book raises many questions and provides some answers in attempting to elucidate the process of demonisation."--Michaela Valente, Journal of the Ecclesiastical History
Winner of the 2007 Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion, Analytical-Descriptive Studies category, American Academy of Religion "Mr. Frankfurter ... shows just how similar stories about evil have been... [E]vil recurs in predictably familiar form... Mr. Frankfurter outlines these repeated elements with illuminating clarity and wide-ranging learning... Using the term evil, he argues, prevents us from understanding context and cause; it places something beyond the human and that's when trouble starts... But when the word is applied to an act, we know just precisely what it means: There is no human excuse."--Edward Rothstein, The New York Times "In a thought-provoking ... study ... Frankfurter draws on religion, sociology and anthropology to uncover the reasons that societies publicly raise cries of demonic conspiracies to explain various social evils... Frankfurter convincingly demonstrates that demonic conspiracies and satanic ritual abuse bare simply myths of evil conspiracies that provide societies an excuse for bullying those who are already considered suspect. He observes trenchantly that those seeking to purge demonic conspiracies have done more violence than the devotees of those so-called evil groups... [H]is judicious insights about the nature of evil in our world provide thoughtful glimpses at the ways societies demonize the Other."--Publishers Weekly "[A] fascinating, even gripping, study... [It] merits widespread attention and careful study."--Dale B. Martin, Church History "[A] brilliant, if terrifying, study."--Dennis P. Quinn, Religious Studies Review "Frankfurter explores the social phenomenon of belief in evil conspiracy throughout Western history from the second century C.E. to the very recent past... Evil Incarnate quite successfully does what it claims to do, namely explore a social phenomenon, the way in which a certain kind of myth has functioned in different historical circumstances to produce social cohesion and to provide a medium for thinking about danger, inversion and otherness... Evil Incarnate also provides scholars with a wide range of interesting avenues for further study."--Heidi Marx-Wolf, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Interpreting and explaining stories and activities, Frankfurter takes us far away and long ago. He also takes the reader through a lot of different ground with regard to the subjects of analysis, and thus he produces and uses many theoretical perspectives... It does, however, make for fascinating reading... In addition to his chapter on 'rites of evil,' I was particularly taken with his ritual analysis of the performance of evil."--Asbjorn Dyrendal, Numen "This meticulously researched and clearly argued book questions the reality of evil and will be welcomed by those, including myself, who join David Frankfurter in casting doubt upon the meaning of this dangerous and destructive idea."--Phillip Cole, Journal of Religion "Frankfurter has written an excellent account of how panics about Satanism have periodically erupted in Europe, North America, and postcolonial Africa. He pulls no punches in concluding that 'no evidence has ever been found to verify the atrocities as historical events.' The terrible irony that emerges from Frankfurter's work is that 'the real atrocities of history seem to take place not in the perverse ceremonies of some evil cult but rather in the course of purging such cults from the world."--Richard J. McNally, PhycCRITIQUES "Frankfurter's book, Evil Incarnate, is a scholarly, interdisciplinary work grounded in meticulous research... What is riveting, here, is the way the myth of evil incarnate takes on new shapes with the arrival of new cultural collisions. What is exciting is his non-reductive causal approach, and the fluid, multi-layered perspectives from which he engages his topic."--Sue Grand, Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society "This is indeed a thought-provoking study and is strongly recommended for students of religion, culture and society. The discourses of evil are real in all our lives and understanding the dynamics that propagate them and turn them into unspeakable violence can liberate people and assist humanity in the journey towards peace and integration."--Dr. Rodney Moss, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae "This book raises many questions and provides some answers in attempting to elucidate the process of demonisation."--Michaela Valente, Journal of the Ecclesiastical History
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