Magic and Witchcraft with Phillips Stevens

Magic and Witchcraft with Phillips Stevens

From Driven to Discover by University at Buffalo

October 7, 2025 · 21 min · Season 4 · Episode 2

About this episode

Phillips Stevens discusses his experiences with magic and witchcraft and insights from his new book on cultural anthropology.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria in his early 20s, Phillips Stevens witnessed an act of sorcery that blew his mind. He turned that moment into a 50-year career as a cultural anthropologist at the University at Buffalo, exploring religion, spirituality and the supernatural in cultures across the world. In this episode, Stevens joins host Tom Dinki to share insights from his new book, “Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft: Inherently Human.” He explains why magical thinking ...

People in this episode

Host: Tom Dinki

Guest: Phillips Stevens

Topics covered

  • magic
  • witchcraft
  • cultural anthropology
  • religion
  • spirituality
  • supernatural

Keywords

  • sorcery
  • Peace Corps
  • Nigeria
  • cultural anthropology
  • supernatural
  • religion
  • spirituality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University at Buffalo

Books & works: Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft: Inherently Human

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