Superstitious Practices Research Articles

The effect of superstitions during pregnancy on quality of life and pregnancy adjustment.

This study was planned to determine the effect of superstitions during pregnancy on quality of life and pregnancy adjustment. A descriptive and correlational design was employed. Data were collected from all pregnant women who accepted to participate in the study and lived in the Central Anatolia Region in Türkiye between December 2022 and May 2023 (a single region was targeted due to the possibility of cultural diversity between regions). Data collection tools were a Descriptive Information Form, the Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire, the Superstitious Belief Scale (SBS), and the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale. Descriptive, comparative, and multiple regression analyses were performed. The mean age of the participants was 27.78 ± 5.09. The mean score of the pregnant women was 32.73 ± 11.18 on the total SBS, 155.80 ± 29.37 on the total Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire, and 59.27 ± 22.02 on the total SF-36 Quality of Life Scale. A relationship was observed between superstition and pregnancy adjustment and quality of life. The findings of this study showed that as the superstition level of pregnant women increased, their incompatibility with pregnancy increased and quality of life decreased. Midwives and other health personnel should be informed and made aware of superstitions and practices that affect maternal and child health and women should be educated about harmful superstitious practices in the prenatal period.

Before the Fire Burns: Trials for Superstition, Magic, and Witchcraft in Sixteenth-Century Bologna

This article investigates the factors that provoked the trial and death sentence of four witches in Bologna in 1559. That is, it aims to elucidate how a witch hunt (albeit a small one) was triggered in a context where demonology was present, but the persecution of witchcraft had been kept at a relatively moderate level (and continued to be so after that). Scholarly contributions on witchcraft and witch hunts are now innumerable, but in general, scholars have focused on the social relations between the alleged witches and the community in which they lived, on the theological culture of the judges, or even on the deep roots of the sabbath. An analysis of a series of trials for magical and superstitious practices held in Bologna shortly before the 1559 convictions reveals how it was possible to move from simple sorcery to actual witchcraft. This transition was accomplished both because of the malefic nature of some of the spells practiced by the defendants and because of the intervention of diocesan judges who, for various reasons, were more determined than their predecessors to prosecute witchcraft harshly. Although the link between simple superstition and witchcraft has already been explored to some extent, it emerges with particular clarity in these events.

Distress Relief and Social Reform in Malabar: The Role of A. V. Thakkar

There was a spate of social reform movements in Kerala in the early decades of the 20th century. These were initiated mainly by religious and spiritual leaders. A few communal organizations also arose during this period and sought to cure the ills from which their particular community was suffering. Besides religious zeal, they were motivated by progressive views. They fought against superstitious practices as well as caste based social discrimination. Despite all these eventualities, Malabar was rather insulated by these progressive developments. Following the rebellion of 1921, Malabar became a center of national attention, as the entire area was thoroughly devastated by the aftermath of the riot, socially, culturally, and economically, and paralyzed politically. Great personalities associated with several service organizations flocked to the area to conduct relief, reconstruction, and reform activities on a massive scale.

Role of Media in HIV/AIDS Awareness

Mass media, particularly, newspapers, magazines, journals, leaflets, television and radio have helped to provide information and create awareness among the people about HIV and other health related issues. In a country with a large illiterate population, many people tend to think that sicknesses like HIV-AIDS, other sicknesses and physical or mental disabilities are a result of punishment of God, fate or one’s Karma. As a result, many choose superstitious practices like witchcraft, magic, sacrifices etc. instead of adopting scientific and medical methods. If we want to provide information and education on important health related issues, we need to mount and sustain a major public education campaign. Media can play a key role in creating awareness about AIDS, spreading knowledge about its symptoms, the mode of transmission, methods of preventing infection etc. Media also help to keep us abreast with latest information and data gathered from various studies and researches going on in the field. In this research paper highlights the kinds, methods, types and role of Media in HIV/AIDS Awareness.

Export-Oriented Eco-Friendly Products of Hereditary Artisans and The Need to Promote Their Craftsmanship

Artisans both hereditary and traditional are an indispensable part of Indian society and culture. Though they have a lot of talents useful for their development and have huge potential to support the nation's economic development, their talents and the scope of their capabilities are yet to be explored and utilized in their proper way. Though there are a lot of government schemes and initiatives, the benefits of all of them do not reach the poor ignorant artisans, many of them still live in superstitious practices. There have not been many sincere serious efforts to bring them to the forefront till recently. Even if there are programs by various governmental agencies, most of the artisans could not make use of them due to their deficiencies. Therefore, there is a special need to reach out to them and improve their entrepreneurial abilities to tap them for greater growth of the economy and inclusive development of these marginalized groups. To achieve this, this paper suggests a nationwide empirical study to find out the socio-economic and educational realities of these hereditary and traditional artisan communities and based on the findings, necessary correctional measures are to be made urgently. To carry out the above, a separate ministry for artisan affairs is needed.

Psychogenic Pain in the Mind of Gymnasts Caught Between Glory and Frustration

This study analyzes the lack of psychological support and follow-up for gymnasts motivated to compete in the Congolese championship. On the one hand, it calls into question the extent of social difficulties in light of current psychological suffering. On the other hand, it questions the fact that the athletes are dependent on their parents, who have no stable employment or have lost it with the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. Despite this disastrous social situation, the sports system itself offers no guarantees in the face of athletes' growing uncertainty. The analysis of this phenomenon on gymnasts revealed worrying psychological profiles in the Congolese sporting population, with mental pathologies emerging and developing insidiously. To enable a proper assessment of athletes' mental strengths and weaknesses, our understanding shows that Target models of mental preparation would be more effective if psychopathologies were diagnosed first. We point to managerial irresponsibility in failing to take the psychosocial aspect seriously at a time when competitors are under pressure to achieve glory at all costs. Through observation of complaints against frustrations and, taking into account our conception of the structural model of the psyche, we found that athletes express themselves through a sad expression, both facial and verbal, to signal the emotional value of their agony. However, the desire to overcome this despair is marked by a costly defense that translates into a commitment to superstitious practices.

Straf- und ordnungsrechtliche Regelungen in ländlichen Rechtsquellen und ihr spezifischer Wortschatz Dargestellt anhand des Materials im Deutschen Rechtswörterbuch

German-language rural legal sources contain a multifaceted vocabulary that is unusually colourful compared to the rest of the legal language. This holds especially true regarding criminal law, criminal procedure and breaches of order, as this paper will illustrate with selected examples. They are based on the material of the “Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch” (DRW). This comprehensive dictionary of historical German legal terms encompasses extensive rural legal sources. In particular, the freely accessible online version with its various search tools offers convenient access to the rural legal sources and their terminology. Already the designations of the rural legal codes vary enormously, as do those of the courts and the legal proceedings such as the obligatory calling of the alarm in the case of a crime (so-called “Gerüfte”) in the Middle Ages. Although thefts occurred in town and village, the crimes differed in the objects stolen, which in the countryside were mainly related to everyday farming life. Poaching and fraudulent border manipulation played a major role in rural law. A separate vocabulary also developed for insults and acts of violence – such as pub brawls. The same applies to swearing, false oaths, superstitious practices and breaches of morality. Just as in the city, there were numerous fire regulations with their own terminology in the villages. Especially in the field of regulatory law, the large subject area of agriculture also plays a central role – with a broad canon of regulations for the protection of animals, pastures and plantations.

Explanatory models of stillbirth among bereaved parents in Afghanistan: Implications for stillbirth prevention.

Local perceptions and understanding of the causes of ill health and death can influence health-seeking behaviour and practices in pregnancy. We aimed to understand individual explanatory models for stillbirth in Afghanistan to inform future stillbirth prevention. This was an exploratory qualitative study of 42 semi-structured interviews with women and men whose child was stillborn, community elders, and healthcare providers in Kabul province, Afghanistan between October-November 2017. We used thematic data analysis framing the findings around Kleinman's explanatory framework. Perceived causes of stillbirth were broadly classified into four categories-biomedical, spiritual and supernatural, extrinsic factors, and mental wellbeing. Most respondents attributed stillbirths to multiple categories, and many believed that stillbirths could be prevented. Prevention practices in pregnancy aligned with perceived causes and included engaging self-care, religious rituals, superstitious practices and imposing social restrictions. Symptoms preceding the stillbirth included both physical and non-physical symptoms or no symptoms at all. The impacts of stillbirth concerned psychological effects and grief, the physical effect on women's health, and social implications for women and how their communities perceive them. Our findings show that local explanations for stillbirth vary and need to be taken into consideration when developing health education messages for stillbirth prevention. The overarching belief that stillbirth was preventable is encouraging and offers opportunities for health education. Such messages should emphasise the importance of care-seeking for problems and should be delivered at all levels in the community. Community engagement will be important to dispel misinformation around pregnancy loss and reduce social stigma.

The Miraculous and the Writing of Crusade Narrative by Beth C. Spacey

Reviewed by: The Miraculous and the Writing of Crusade Narrative by Beth C. Spacey Andrew D. Buck The Miraculous and the Writing of Crusade Narrative. By Beth C. Spacey. (Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press. 2020. Pp. xvi and 198. $25.95. ISBN 978-1-78327-518-2.) The field of crusade studies remains one of the most prolific, and at times also one of the most vibrant, fields of modern medieval historiography. Perhaps one of [End Page 183] its most important developments of late, pioneered most obviously by Marcus Bull, is the adoption of analytical techniques related to the “literary turn” and, in particular, narrative theory. Through this, scholars have built on the foundations of theorists like Hayden White—with varying degrees of religious observance—to better treat the textual sources for the crusades as cultural artefacts: as windows onto the authors and audiences by, and for whom, they were created. It is in the context of this that we should view the book under consideration here, Beth C. Spacey’s insightful and important The Miraculous and the Writing of Crusade Narrative. As Spacey notes, this book is not concerned with reality, or even with the question of whether authors believed what they were writing was true; rather, it treats various aspects of the miraculous as “narrative ingredients”—components of a wider literary arsenal through which an author could provide meaning (pp. 9–10). Here, Spacey is aligning herself with other recent works with a specific literary focus, like Stephen J. Spencer’s Emotions in a Crusading Context, c. 1095–c. 1291 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2019). The book itself covers narratives written c. 1099–c. 1250, albeit within this timeframe there is discussion only of sources relating to events between the First and Fourth Crusades (1096–1204). It is divided into three parts, each containing two chapters. Part I explores two interrelated—if still demonstrably differentiated—narrative themes: “Miracles and Marvels.” Chapter 1 demonstrates how each contributed to authorial explanations for divine agency on crusade, especially the First Crusade, which is said to have witnessed such miraculous events as a heavenly host intervening at the Battle of Antioch in June 1098. Chapter 2, by contrast, turns to how the divine could intersect with moments of failure. For texts relating to the disastrous Second Crusade, for example, they helped communicate that the manifold dead had at least ascended to heaven. Part II, “Visions and Dreams,” begins with chapter 3, which is dedicated largely to the stories that surrounded the two visionaries whose experiences led, in the case of Peter Bartholomew, to the finding of a relic of the Holy Lance at Antioch in June 1098, and, in the case of Stephen of Valence, to the expectation of divine assistance in the aforementioned battle outside that same city. Chapter 4 pushes further into the themes of intercession and insurance, wherein it is shown how moments of saintly appearance were used by authors as validating mechanisms for certain expeditions—and the actions of their leaders. Part III, “Signs and Augury,” leads with chapter 5’s examination of, among other things, the representation of the use of so-called superstitious practices to both define the religious “other” and explain their defeat. Finally, chapter 6 turns to signs of divine approval and disapproval, and how celestial phenomena helped to lend a further legitimising gloss to victorious events (again, seen most especially in the sources for the First Crusade) or to presage disaster, like the 1186 planetary conjunction that occurred just a year before Jerusalem fell to the Sultan Saladin in 1187. Intrepid readers will also find a helpful appendix offering further details on many of the narratives discussed. This is a valuable contribution not just for those in crusade studies, but for anyone interested in medieval European literary and religious cultures. The slightly top-heavy nature of the book’s temporal focus—that is, the extent to which the [End Page 184] First Crusade is discussed compared with the other campaigns—is clear, but also to be expected: few events attracted quite the same level of literary output or created the canvas onto which authors could paint such vivid miraculous images. Indeed, what...

Dravidian Movement and Arangannal

Human society was degraded by superstitious practices without intellectual awareness. The society of the day was subjected to decline and suffering. The social reformers who emerged among the communities guided the people. Among them, Jesus, Prophet, Buddha, Gandhi, and others are notable. From time-to-time reformers appeared to reform society on the soil. Because of the illiteracy of the people, inequality and atrocities in society took place every day. Communalism and caste oppression swelled, and women and the downtrodden suffered from irrational acts. There are plenty of intellectual organizations on the soil that have arisen to reform human society to recover from them. The purpose of this article is to study the Dravidian movement that reformed the people against the atrocities of caste, religion, labour exploitation, and bonded labour in southern Tamil Nadu, and the creator Arangannal, who assimilated and spoke and wrote Dravidian ideology.

Conflict between Science and Superstition in Medical Practices

Superstition is a belief that is not based on scientific knowledge. Traditional healers usually use superstition in their practices to manage human health problems and diseases; such practices create a conflict with the medical profession and its evidence-based practices. Medical professionals confirm that this kind of practice is unsafe as it is performed by untrained people (e.g., traditional healers) utilizing unsterilized instruments within unhygienic environments. Most of the cases eventually develop a variety of complications, which are sometimes fatal. Female genital mutilation, uvulectomy, oral mutilation (tooth bud extraction to cure “Ibyinyo”), and eyebrow incisions are examples of the many different types of superstitious practices which occur commonly in other parts of the world. We describe how these traditional practices of superstition have been and continue to be performed in various parts of the world, their complications on oral and general health, and how such practices hinder modern medical practices and highlight huge inequalities and disparities in healthcare-seeking behavior among different social groups. This paper aims to increase health literacy and awareness of these superstition-driven traditional and potentially harmful practices by promoting the importance of evidence-based medical practices.

Folk superstitions from the Periyar point of view

The basis of all the philosophies of Periyar, the father of the Self-Respect movement, is self-awareness. Such self-respect is an essential quality for mankind, but the obstacles to this feeling are, in Periyar’s view, lack of self-confidence and greed. Both of these are barriers to the sense of self. The folk songs of Thanthai Periyar are unique. Self-respect and power are also seen among the rural masses, such as in rituals, songs, marriages, astrology, etc. There are various kinds of superstitious songs among women, such as widow marriage, pregnancy, son, daughter-in-law, kaathu karuppu (bad elements), etc. Even today, superstitious practices are prevalent in rural and urban areas. Through the folk songs of Thanthai Periyar, ritual, self-respect, and self-confidence are expressed.

The Widow's Reincarnation bound in Revolutionary Poetic Writing

When Bharathiar sings about women and their problems, he sings that women should fight for the freedom of the country and fight for their freedom. He has also elevated women to motherhood as a symbol of power. But Bharathidasan looks closely at the problems of women's lives and analyses and sings the social problems of women, such as widowhood, superstition, child marriage, etc. Bharathidasan tried to eliminate the disadvantages faced by women in society. In general, he warns men that he does not want to justify everything that men do in society. The situation of women in our country is very deplorable. From the foot to the top, the whole body should be corrected. It must be said that the slavery of women is due to the superstitious practices of our country. Pavendar Bharathidasan can be regarded as someone who worked hard to change the situation of women by associating himself with Periyar's rationality and ideas. While women's society cannot be completely reformed, there is a sense of reform among semi-educated women. The remarriage of the widow can be specifically pointed out. Through his works, it can be said that Pavendar Bharathidasan was the one who sowed the seeds of widow remarriage.

Poisoning at the court of the Sun King, the affair of the poisons

Versailles, 1679, at the apogee of the reign of King Louis XIV, one of the largest and most sordid criminal case of all time breaks out: the affair of the poisons. Love, hatred, greed or jealousy affected all classes of society, including the King's entourage. The doctors Fresquières and Dugué, as well as the apothecaries Simon and Geoffroy, will be the experts in charge of the medical and toxicological reports of the Chambre Ardente (“burning court”), a special jurisdiction in charge of cases of poisoning and witchcraft, set up on 7th April 1679 by King Louis XIV. The latter wished to shed light on all these criminal attempts, no matter how highly placed the culprits were; on condition that all interrogations involving the most prominent personalities were kept out of the proceedings, as he did not wish to cause a scandal. Olympe Mancini, one of the young King's first loves, Madame de Montespan, King's ex-favourite, her maid of honour, La Des Oeillets and her chambermaid Catau, or even Nicolas Fouquet's supporters, could all have had their finger on the secret plan to oust the King. At a time when toxicological science was still in its beginning, poisoners such as La De La Grange, La Bosse, La Voisin, La Filastre and Lesage used arsenic, sulphurous or mercurous compounds, plant or animal poisons to make decoctions, to spice up a glass of wine, to sprinkle beatillis on a pie, to impregnate clothes or to coat paper. Among their expert opinions, the apothecaries of the Chambre Ardente examined powders of La Filastre, reputed to be “dangerous with a dagger, with poison and in everything”. They found dried menstrual blood, cantharides mixed with two ounces of henbane grains “whose quantity taken internally is very dangerous”, a small bag of blackish powder that they identified as powder of crushed herbs or plants and, in a scapular bound with thread, a small quantity of grey powder whose composition could not be determined. Despite these inconclusive toxicological results, La Filastre was nevertheless found guilty of abortion, infanticide, Satanism and poisoning and was sentenced to death, burned alive at the stake in the Place de Grève. Madame de Montespan, who was guilty, according to the Lieutenant General of Police, of sacrilege (by participating in diabolical ceremonies), attempted crimes (on the King's new favourite, Madame de Fontange), crimes (by offering newborn babies during black masses) and lèse-majesté (administration of aphrodisiacs and poisoning) but defended by Colbert, left the court in 1691. In 3 years, after 210 sessions of the Chambre Ardente, 319 decrees of arrest, 194 arrests and 104 judgements including 36 death sentences, on 21st July 1692, the King closed the Chambre de l’Arsenal. On 31st July 1692, the Edict of Colbert and De La Reynie banished soothsayers, diviners and horoscope readers from the Kingdom, severely punished superstitious practices, so-called magic, which was henceforth considered pure charlatanism and sacrilege, regulated the trade in toxic or poisonous products and animals, herbs, snakes, toads and vipers, and reserved the right to have laboratories solely for apothecaries and professors of chemistry. The affair of the poisons, if it was not the occasion for the fledging of toxicology, at least allowed the foundations to be laid…of the officinal pharmacy!

MAGDALENA CAMACHO, LA CAMARONES, UNA CELESTINA EN LA LIMA DEL SIGLO XVIII. HECHIZOS Y CONJUROS AMATORIOS ANTE LA INQUISICIÓN

This article examines the transgressive figure of Magdalena Camacho “La camarones”, who due to her superstitious practices embodied the profile of the unorthodox female who moves outside of patriarchal structures. Recognized by those who knew her well as a great witch, Camacho fluctuated between a constantly transgressive everyday existence and imaginaries based on prejudice and stigma. She was tried before the Inquisition from 1662 to 1664 in Lima, and her case file exemplifies situations, in which the protagonists are not the people on trial, but the spell they cast. Estrangement, the search for love, social or economic wellbeing were just some of the conflicts that Camacho resolved with her spells.

UNINTENTIONAL MONUMENTS, OR THE MATERIALIZING OF AN OPEN PAST

ABSTRACTThis article examines the emergence of a new epistemic value that was attributed to remnants of the past during the broad debate on historical evidence in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the unintentionality of the testimony. Beginning in the early modern period, growing awareness of the partiality of historical literacy narratives regarded as intentional testimonies as well as growing interest in nonwritten pasts have led to the consideration of other kinds of relics, which have been seen as unwitting and indirect carriers of information about the past. Material and iconographic remains, languages and oral traditions, costumes, and superstitious practices gained currency as “neutral” and “authentic” testimonies of times past. This process is accessed by analyzing the historical evidence par excellence in eighteenth‐century France: the monument as material and immaterial remains. Over the course of this period, evidence underwent impressive semantic enhancement and became a polysemic epistemological object. At the time, the term “monument” referred to an intentional mark designed for and entrusted to the future and to unwitting or involuntary evidence of the past, evidence that was later invested with historical value not originally intended by its maker. Although the nineteenth century saw the term “monument” lose its meaning as an unwitting trace of the past, what has survived is the epistemic value of an unintentionality of testimonies, albeit under other conceptual guises such as “remnants,” “witnesses in spite of themselves,” “traces,” and “clues.” What, then, is the usefulness of still imagining unintentionality today for the practice of research and for historical understanding?

Garis Panduan Mengenai Amalan Sihir Menurut Perspektif Islam

This study aims to provide general guidance to religious authorities and the prosecution on the conduct of magic in society for the purpose of the process of enforcement and prosecution of magic practitioners. Apart from that, it is also an explanation and exposure to the Muslim community about the dangers of believing in the practice of magic and its use that can lead to the deviation of the beliefs of a Muslim. This study is based on the Results of the Muzakarah of the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia: Law on the belief in the practice of magic and its use according to Islamic perspective has been gazetted as a Fatwa in several State Fatwa Departments in Malaysia. Violation of the fatwa decision that has been gazetted as an offense because it is considered an insult to Islam and the Religious Authority. The objective of this study will be to discuss the characteristics of superstitious practices, forms of magic practices, the characteristics of magic practitioners, in brief, the role of the authorities in combating magic practices. The methodology used in this study is a library study that is the analysis of documents such as books and articles. It is hoped that these guidelines can also provide understanding and explanation to Muslims in this country on the characteristics of the practice of magic, superstition, and magic according to the Islamic perspective with the hope that the Muslim community stays away from all practices that can threaten the faith, threaten the lives of others and affect harmony society if there is no collective effort from all authorities to curb it.

Focus on Women Education in Early Indian English Novels

The paper focuses on the works written by early Indian writers throwing light on the condition, need and concern for women’s education. Keeping the patriarchy as root, the Indian women novelists made a debut after independence and started producing novels dealing with themes of family, dowry, child marriage, superstitious practices, education, purdah system and widow remarriage. With their personal experiences and suffrage women novelists have paved down the path for modern writers of the time. They represented their vision of a ‘New Women’, a woman who is courageous, educated, independent and liberated.

The Four Palaces in Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Adaptation of a Vietnamese Worship between Prohibition, Safety, and Social Networks

Abstract In February 2020, Vietnam closed its borders to prevent the emergence of COVID-19 in the country. Nevertheless, after the appearance of the first large infected cluster in March 2020, the situation gradually deteriorated since July 2020. The Vietnamese government decided to ban gatherings, and therefore certain religious practices. The religions in the country had to adapt their practices to this new situation. In this article, I will explore the situation of the Four Palaces (Tứ Phủ) and its possession ritual (len đồng). After recalling the chronology of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam, I will highlight how this worship adapted its practices in the north of the country at the beginning of the pandemic and during the Vietnamese lockdowns. Moreover, I will draw a parallel to discuss the ban of the ritual practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and the prohibition of “superstitious practices” that occurred in Vietnam between the late 1950s and the 1990s. The article will stress the importance of social media, in particular Facebook, and their uses by the mediums and followers of the Four Palaces while exploring the discourses that can be seen within the social networks.

On Being a Fan and on Fanhood and Its Implications for Defeating the Moral Sceptic

AbstractI employ the notion of fanhood to object to David Gauthier's Dependency Thesis, according to which, if a disposition is rationally required to adopt, so too are the acts expressing it. I first establish that fanhood is a commitment relevantly similar to a moral commitment. I then argue that, because genuine fanhood characteristically issues in inherently irrational behaviours in the form of ‘luck charms,’ or, superstitious practices fans believe will help their team win, it poses a decisive objection to the Dependency Thesis, thereby eliminating a promising attempt to defeat the moral sceptic.