Abstract:
The aim of this study is to illustrate the ethnocentrism of Western
thought by projecting its own science-oriented culture onto cultures
with different beliefs. A comparative study between African
witchcraft and the Greek phenomenon of the evil eye will be done to
investigate whether similar reasons can be given for their existence
today. The article reflects on the view that has been prevalent since
the Enlightenment, namely that belief in the supernatural is
“primitive” and has no place in a world where most things can be
explained or solved scientifically. Against this background,
contemporary Western perspectives on evil are explained and
compared with those of the Greek Orthodox worldview, which
shows similarities with New Testament textual evidence. This
correlation is demonstrated by an anthropological perspective on
the phenomenon of the evil eye as seen from a social, cultural and
ecological point of view. These insights are compared with the belief
in witchcraft, demonic possession and exorcism within African
tradition and spirituality.
