Magic in minority culture: The Use of magical strategies in religious communities in Podlasie

Abstract

This article examines the widespread belief that minorities are more likely to engage in magical practices than groups which form the majority of the population. Potential reasons for the perception that minorities are more involved in magic are considered, including the role of preserving tradition in maintaining identity and the “othering” process used by majority groups. Focusing on the Orthodox minority in Poland, the study examines whether belonging to a religious minority is itself connected with greater belief in and practice of magic. The study was conducted in a region where Catholic and Orthodox communities live side by side under similar conditions, allowing for a direct comparison that made it possible to exclude other variables such as living conditions or age structure. The research method consisted of ques­tioning members of both communities about their strategies for dealing with specific medical and social problems in their daily lives. Contrary to common stereotypes, the results of the study indicate that religious identity is not a pre­dictor of the propensity to propose solutions based on magical practices. This suggests that in so far as there may be real differences in the magical practices of minorities, these may be due to the living conditions of those minorities.