The relationship among gender, witchcraft and social order
Anthropology explains that when this kind of merging happens, supernatural agents will be able to penetrate social interaction and establish their roles. The relationship between gender, witchcraft, and social order can be rooted out from the kind of liberal perspective shed on each one. As an example, when liberal perception is put on the issue of witchcraft, then that same binding mindset will create a connection between the other two factors. This scenario will result to wider cognitive capabilities in social order which completes the chain. Existing literatures reiterate how religious beliefs and practices affect social order that is grounded on established ethics and morality. Looking deeply at the said three factors, it can be said that they are highly sensitive and controversial issues that deals with anthropological study of religion.
Primitive religion may stress that there is a thin line between belief and ethics of the ritual. Early conception of religion has it that rituals, specifically witchcraft, may already be contained in the individual mind and is not created society (Malinowski and Redfield, 2004). The verdict comes in with mans instinctive endowment in which he has the option to choose between existing alternatives to believe or neglect. Once the selection has been made the society does it part on its enactment which in turn mobilizes the status of social order. Collaboration between beliefs and the society itself is made firm by social communities, organizations, or cults which proclaim a number of definite truths and gives moral comfort to its members (Malinowski and Redfield, 2004). In making a belief strong and grandiose, it has to undergo hardships which can be proofs tosupport any kind of rituals or ceremonies. It is in this way that mental conflict is reduced and the mind is empowered and convinced to follow a certain cult. Upon submission to any kind of tradition, ultimate greatness is achieved while social order maybe distorted.
Witchcraft, in a primitive mans point of view, implies longing for mental forces, hopes in the miraculous, and dormant beliefs in mysterious possibilities (Malinowski and Redfield, 2004). In connection with humans pursuit of ultimate greatness, there is an upholding for the inner value of the words magic, spell, charm, to bewitch, and to enchant. This kind of undertaking is a finite course because it is said that magic never originated and nor invented. In ancient societies, it was prevalent that magic had spurred out from mans natural knowledge (Malinowski and Redfield, 2004). As social order is moved by human interests, so is the witchcraft which is akin to society by its association to instincts, pursuits, and needs of man.
When it comes to mans pursuit for what is deemed ultimate, even distortion of human nature can be distorted in search of fulfillment for gender roles. Anthropology has traditionally deemphasized that gender roles are an untouched aspect of human experience (Lett, 1997). The field of study has continued its course to prevent the influence of biological reductionism on human behavior. Gender issues are a complex set of genre that implicitly rejects nativism over human nature ( Lett, 1997).
The same with witchcraft, which is another malleable principle, gender roles sprouted from mans fulfillment of goals which are easily adapted by society, therefore, influencing the way social order processes itself. Evolutionary psychology tells that the rucial variable situated beneath the universal differences between the sexes is the different reproductive roles portrayed by men and women (Lett 1997). The universal differences mentioned here are a part of the malleable cultures surrounding society. Gender differences and witchcraft are both extreme points of worlds of culture that continually shape social order, thus creating a three-point connection. As men begin to search for the fulfillment of aims, goals, instincts, and wants, their moral and ethical views toward what is upright and just would become affected to the extent of how much liberal their minds and actions can get.
Diversity over rationaly inquiry has paved the way for the differing views of witchcraft, gender, an social order. The interpretation of religious beliefs and social institutions embedded on various expressions of a common psychological attitude has become advanced (Weber and Parsons, 2003).Perspectives over the nature of social order which is most conducive to well-being are becoming changeable reflective of mans capacity to departmentalize themselves according to what they believe in and what would given them the better cause. The pressure imposed by the economic environment is continually molding the constructs of the minds of the people, affecting even the way they see themselves according to gender and religion.
Recent social movements in gender roles and the religious radicalism that gives way for witchcraft are partly examined by previous authors that examined the search for new type of economic civilization (Weber and Parsons, 2003). The strife for economic efficiency may impact social order because it entails more prosaic and mundane forces which do not honor any character of religious creeds and any institutionalized doings. It is noted that social order are molded by these forces which people resort to toward their satisfaction.
Another explanation of the linkage among gender, witchcraft and social order comes from the special case of the witchcraft trials in the historiography of early modern gender that reflects general interpretations of womens position in the society (Toivo, 2008). Patriarchy theories of the 1970s feminist theories paint a clear picture of the hierarchical subordination of women and servants to husbands and masters. The theory of patriarchy has a heavy effect on gender roles because history notes it that the early feminist movements, the witch-hunt exemplifies a finite action by the patriarchy to control womens thoughts, acts, and rights (Toivo, 2008).
The subordination of women as the abused and being used in the numerous works of popular literature, poetry, prose and in any other entertaining purposes had eventually grew into a much radical feminist movement in which a woman refused to abide with mans abusive commands and to live according to that patriarchal rules which resulted to a broken trend in social order that greatly unpholds men over women. With this kind of awareness movement, an abused woman was turned into a personified sample of wisdom, strength, and courage.
The uprising in the witch trials caused panics and almost became womans Holocaust . This was due to a more coercive power of men in leading witch-hunt. Unfortunately, this uprising caused a massive opppression for women as what the historians told. Almost the entire male population became the witch-finders and who institutionalized that women were meant to agree that the denigrading subordination were legitimate (Toivo, 2008). It was in this picture that social order was forced to shift through violence and subordination rather than the humanistic relationship among people. This scenario translated the fact that the relationship between witchcraft trials and power was highly complicated than mere gender violence.
Gender politics in witchcraft is a loophole akin to gender issues in religion, females are not commonly ordained even though they constituted the congregation (Fritscher and La Vey, 2004). In the aspect fo popular witchcraft, the female mystique still suffers from the stigma of being a victim. The story of witchcraft became a way for the feminist movements in the early modern society to justify themselves and to seek change in social order. Witchcraft was utilized in such a manner that women were able to counter sense of oppression and desperation.
Women begun their pursuit for gender equality through taking control of their bodies and empowering the importance of motherhood. They focused on their positive impact of motherhood and how social order benefitted to it. Witchcraft interconnects with social order and gender role through liberation from limited belief systems. The interconnection sprouts from the witchcrafts ongoing movement directed to pursuance of personal rights unfettered by issues on racism, sexism, gender roles, and religion (Fritscher and La vey, 2004). The witchcraft movement is pointed at the nature, persona, and sexual energy all of which are considered to be major elements that influence social order.
Witchcraft history tells that it has been dominated by theories of social conflict in the aspect of the gender of the witch-suspect. Many witchcraft issues were related to Catholic reform and male dominance which disrupted social structure and complicated the way women view reproductive roles.
Fast forward to the present society, witchcraft is no longer a silent minority but has grown to become a part of liberation movements of sex, race, and gender that is continually shaping social order. The relationship among witchcraft, gender, and social order is evident on how the three manifest themselves to the people by penetrating their ethics, beliefs and morals. Such relationship has opened the society toward wider capabilities in gender roles, spirityual beliefs and social structure.
Pop culture has put on new connotation for witchcraft which involves womens liberation, gay rights, space and the antiwar movement (Fritscher and La Vey, 2004). Such connotation is able to reestablish the linkage of witchcraft to other elements relevant to society. The sociology of witchcraft exudes more than a highly sensitive issue of faith, biological differences, power, and social status. Gender, witchcraft and social order are meant to be in harmony with each one to encourage the reestablishment of a unified approach toward the diversifying topics of religion, morals and ethics, and societal structure.
In conclusion, the relationship among witchcraft, gender and social order are a braod line that encompasses belief systems, liberal attitudes, faith, gender roles, humanism, and other anthropological and sociological elements and theories. Pop culture may play a role in widening the scope of the this relationship but it is indeed the human intuition that permits such interconnection. It is a foolproof evidence that the marginalization between men and women, conservatism and liberalism, modernism and nativism were all evident in such relationship that has the capability to transform human beings into a newer group of society that recognizes each intuition and belief.
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