The Magical Art of Peace: Ancient Rituals of Reconciliation and Resistance

This lecture explores the provocative question: Can magic stop wars? Drawing on historical and cross-cultural sources, we examine how rituals and spells have been used not merely as private acts of devotion but as technologies of politics, resistance, and reconciliation. From the Assyrian Maqlû tablets and Egyptian execration rites, to the Wiccan “Cone of Power” against Hitler and the modern #MagicResistance movement, we uncover how ritual has been mobilised to defend rulers, resist tyranny, and shape the course of events.

The lecture also turns to reconciliation practices such as the Acholi Mato Oput in Uganda, Hawaiian ho‘oponopono, and Arab-Islamic sulha, showing how communities have ritualised the difficult work of forgiveness and the transformation of enmity. By analysing these cases, we see how ritual externalises conflict into material or symbolic form, such as burned effigies, bitter drinks, and shared meals, so that violence can be reframed, managed, or dissolved.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖

REFERENCES 📚

Baines, E. K. (2007). The Haunting of Alice: Local Approaches to Justice and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda. International journal of transitional justice, 1(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijm011

Beard, M., North, J., & Price, S. (1998). Religions of Rome, Vol. 1: A History. Cambridge University Press.

Bell, C. (1992). Ritual theory, ritual practice. Oxford University Press.

Graf, F. (1997). Magic in the ancient world (F. Philip, Trans.). Harvard University Press.

Hutton, R. (1999). The triumph of the moon: A history of modern Pagan witchcraft. Oxford University Press.

Kemp, B. J. (2006). Ancient Egypt: anatomy of a civilization (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Lang, F. (2002). Sulha Peacemaking and the Politics of Persuasion. Journal of Palestine studies, 31(3), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1525/jps.2002.31.3.52

Pukui, M. K., Haertig, E. W., & Lee, C. A. (1972). Nānā i ke kumu (Look to the source), Vol. 1. Hui Hānai. 39

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