In the past decades magic has become an important field of academic study. The definition of the term remains fluid, as it also was in antiquity. What constituted “magic” (and religion) changed not only according to time and place, but also according to the group or person who defined it. Today magic is studied both as a theoretical construct and as a tradition of texts (written or recited), artefacts, and practices. One feature that awaits further development is the complex interrelation between magical texts and artefacts from different cultures, across time and space. Our project explores this interrelation systematically, in a structured and methodical manner, employing digital humanities tools.

The project started in 2023 as an international academic workshop at the Lorentz Center in Leiden (https://www.lorentzcenter.nl/structuring-magic-towards-a-digital-infrastructure-of-texts-and-artefacts.html).

You may read the workshop scientific report here.

The participants of the Lorentz Center workshop “Structuring Magic”, 2023