Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande

A founding classic of social anthropology based on fieldwork among the Azande of central Africa. Evans-Pritchard shows how beliefs in witchcraft, poison oracles and magic form a coherent system for explaining misfortune and settling disputes. Its argument that such beliefs are rational within their own premises shaped every later study of witchcraft accusation, including historians of the European witch trials. Essential for readers seeking a comparative, cross-cultural foundation.