Elements of Magic in Contemporary Ossetian Culture: a Sociological Analysis

The actualization of sorcery in modern Russia is associated with public interest in the phenomenon during the period of sociopolitical instability and spiritual quest. The current sociocultural situation forms a new cultural niche, and, in this vein, the study of the phenomenon of witchcraft and magic is relevant. The article is based on the materials of the study “Features of Magic in the Modern Culture of Ossetians”, conducted in January-March 2000 by the Department of Sociology of North Ossetian State University. The survey involved residents of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (N = 492). The respondents were ranked by age (two cohorts: “under 35 years old” and “over 35 years old”; the ranking is due to the difference in the mentality of generations who grew up in different socioeconomic and political conditions), gender, nationality, level of education, and occupation. Also, a group of nine experts took part in the study; it included coaches of “spiritual growth”, “hereditary healers and sorcerers”, healers, and fortune-tellers. The transcendental field of knowledge is equally attractive to one degree or another for representatives of all walks of life. Thus, the study showed that every second resident at least once a year used the services of persons involved in magic, and every fifth did this with a regularity of once a month. At the same time, 81% of respondents had higher education. Magic is presented as an expression of the deep interconnection of two cultural phenomena that have an existential meaning for a person: a form of life (as a game combining linguistic and non-linguistic spheres) and symbolism (as a universal code of culture). The media play a significant role in shaping the attitude of the population towards magic. A number of specialized programs on television and radio, websites and pages on the Internet, the abundance of literature on magic, occultism, healing, and esotericism, as well as touring magicians, sorcerers, witch doctors, fortunetellers, and all kinds of trainers on “spiritual growth and self-knowledge” do not leave indifferent a certain part of the population.

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