Fenomenet Thams [Thams,the Phenomenon]

This article examines the fish trade between Denmark and Britain, focusing on the 1933 bilateral trade agreement. Britain was the main export market for Danish fish, achieving a significant market share. Import penetration exacerbated British concerns about competitiveness that had emerged during the 1920s. While British protectionism saw the introduction of tariffs and quotas, which nominally reduced Danish imports by 10%, the Danes accommodated restrictions through exporting semi-processed fish. This article details trends in fish imports from Denmark, examines the national positions in negotiating the trade agreement, and considers how each country's fishing industry responded to its implementation. It draws two principal conclusions. First, that the significance of trade in the development of the interwar fisheries requires greater consideration in historical accounts. Second, that the Danish industry more effectively accommodated the new trade regime than the nominally protected British fishing industry.     

The Evil Eye and Cultural Beliefs among the Bedouin Tribes of the Negev,Middle East [1]

This paper examines Bedouin attitudes and practices relating to the evil eye as a cause of misfortune. The evil eye is perceived by the Bedouin as one of the most dangerous forces that can interfere in their lives, and they invest much energy in a variety of methods to counteract it. This paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon by describing the rituals of diagnosis, treatment and prevention among the Bedouin tribes of the Negev in the Middle East.

The evil eye can bring a man to his grave, and a camel to the cooking pot (Arab-Bedouin saying).

The evil eye is like a light. You can see it, feel it, be affected by it, or affect others by means of it. It can cause harm or even death in large numbers, but you never succeed in holding it in your hands. This is the will of Allah (Bedouin saying).     

Presidential address given to the Folklore society,March 2004[1]

Glastonbury, a small town in the south‐west of England, is considered significant by a variety of religious groups and spiritual seekers. While there is a large degree of peaceful co‐existence between people holding radically different worldviews, the contested nature of Glastonbury as a spiritual centre is occasionally played out by means of public displays of religiosity, the most obvious example of which is the procession. This paper compares Christian and Goddess‐oriented processions as case studies in the use of traditional means to assert historical, spatial and spiritual claims in contemporary Glastonbury.     

Publications Received [52]

Publications Received

Publications Received [52]     

Publications Received [53]

Publications Received

Publications Received [53]     

Publications Received [51]

Publications Received

Publications Received [51]     

Publications Received [55]

Indo-Iranian Journal -     

The Witches' Flying and the Spanish Inquisitors,or How to Explain (Away) the Impossible [1]

The first part of this paper presents four old Spanish explanations of the witches' flying: (1) that (with the Devil's help) they actually did fly; (2) that the experience of flying was the result of narcotic stimulation; (3) that their flying was pure imagination—methodologically demonstrated in the investigations of the Spanish inquisitor Alonso de Salazar Frías; and (4) that they fly by means of the soul. The latter, although strongly rejected by the Church, remained the most popular opinion. The second part discusses the flying of the Sicilian donni di fori [“women from outside”] of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These were cunning women who served as mediators between the local community and the fairy world. On their nightly excursions “in spirit” they would enter the houses with the fairies, who bestowed their blessing on the homes. Or they would join the fairies in a sort of “white sabbath” where everything was reflective of beauty and delight. In the last part, the author describes his encounter with a contemporary Sicilian “night-goer” who claimed to be able to travel “in spirit.” In the concluding discussion, the author asserts that none of the rationalistic approaches used so far leads to a full understanding of the phenomenon. In his reconstruction of the Sicilian fairy cult, the author leaves open the possibility of out-of-the-body experiences and collective dreaming (rêve a deux) being potential explanations for the phenomenon.     

Publications received [64]

Indo-Iranian Journal -