Author Description
India's association with magicians goes back thousands of years. Conjurors and illusionists dazzled the courts of Hindu maharajas and Mughal emperors. As British dominion spread over the subcontinent, such wonder-workers became synonymous with India. Western magicians appropriated Indian attire, tricks and stage names; switching their turbans for top hats, Indian jugglers fought back and earned their grudging respect.This book tells the extraordinary story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Recounting tales of levitating Brahmins, resurrections, prophesying monkeys and "the most famous trick never performed," Empire of Enchantment vividly charts Indian magic's epic journey from street to the stage.This heavily illustrated book tells the extraordinary, untold story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Drawing on ancient religious texts, early travelers' accounts, colonial records, modern visual sources, and magicians' own testimony, Empire of Enchantment is a vibrant narrative of India's magical traditions, from Vedic times to the present day.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical evolution of Indian magic, tracing its transformation from ancient religious ritual to a global form of popular entertainment. Author John Zubrzycki, a journalist and historian with extensive experience in Indian studies, synthesizes a vast array of primary sources to document how Indian conjurors influenced Western performance traditions. He argues that the perception of Indian magic was shaped by both indigenous practices and the colonial encounter, ultimately establishing a unique cultural legacy that persists in modern performance art.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Historical analysis of magic from Vedic times through the Mughal era to the colonial period.
- Examination of the cultural exchange between Indian street performers and Western stage magicians.
- Integration of diverse source material including religious texts, colonial records, and contemporary accounts.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the history and cultural impact of the performance tradition rather than providing instructional guides for specific magic tricks.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and historians praise this work for its meticulous archival research and its ability to contextualize performance art within broader colonial and post-colonial history. Readers frequently note that the prose remains accessible while providing a comprehensive academic overview of a previously under-documented subject.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190934883
ISBN-13:
9780190934880
History
Non-Fiction
World Civilization
India
Magic
Asian History
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