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'''Animatism''' is a term coined by British [[anthropologist]] [[Robert Marett]] to refer to "a belief in a generalized, impersonal power over which people have some measure of control".<ref name="Ferraro, Gary 2008. p. 340">Ferraro, Gary. 2008. ''Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed.'' Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. p. 340</ref> Marett argues that certain cultures believe "people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects were endowed with certain powers, which were both impersonal and supernatural."<ref name="Ferraro, Gary 2008. p. 340" />
'''Animatism''' is a term coined by British [[anthropologist]] [[Robert Ranulph Marett|Robert Marett]] in the context of his teleological theory of the evolution of religion. It refers to "a belief in a generalized, impersonal power over which people have some measure of control".<ref name="Ferraro, Gary 2008. p. 340">Ferraro, Gary. 2008. ''Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed.'' Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. p. 340</ref> Marett argues that certain cultures believe "people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects were endowed with certain powers, which were both impersonal and supernatural."<ref name="Ferraro, Gary 2008. p. 340" /> ''[[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|Mana]]'', Marett states, is a concentrated form of animatistic force found within any of these objects that confer power, strength, and success.<ref>Ferraro, Gary. 2008. ''Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed.'' Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.</ref>


Animatism is a belief that inanimate, miraculous qualities exists in the natural world. It also talks about the belief that everything is infused with a life force giving each lifeless object personality or perception, but not a soul as in animism. It is a widespread belief among small-scale societies. In South Pacific regions, such as Melanesia and Polynesia, this belief comes in form of manaism, which is derived from mana<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mana {{!}} Polynesian and Melanesian religion|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/mana-Polynesian-and-Melanesian-religion|access-date=2020-11-02|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
''[[Mana]]'', Marett states, is a concentrated form of animatistic force found within any of these objects that confer power, strength, and success.<ref>Ferraro, Gary. 2008. ''Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed.'' Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.</ref> To various cultures, animatism and mana are visible through the successes and failures of these various objects. Success equals a high amount of animatism, or mana, whereas failure is the result of animatism, or mana, being lost.

Many indigenous cultures believe in animatism. They believe that worshipping inanimate objects will drive them away from the evil forces around.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=Eswarappa|first=Kasi|title=Animatism|date=2019|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200238-1|work=Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion|pages=1–4|editor-last=Leeming|editor-first=David A.|place=Berlin, Heidelberg|publisher=Springer|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200238-1|isbn=978-3-642-27771-9|access-date=2020-10-05|last2=Mathew|first2=Gladis S.}}</ref> These groups also believe that the inanimate objects they worship have mystical powers that are sent by God to help them on Earth.<ref name=":0" />

Animatism laid the foundation for animism by introducing the notion of supernatural forces residing within lifeless entities, thus paving the way for the development of more complex belief systems.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Talianova Eren |first=Mariia |title=Folklor Kaynaklarına Göre Eski Türk ve Slav İnanç Sistemi |publisher=Gazi Kitapevi |year=2020 |isbn=9786257315203 |pages=7 |language=tr}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category: Religion stub]]
[[Category:Anthropology of religion]]
[[Category:Anthropology of religion]]
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Latest revision as of 00:21, 2 September 2024

Animatism is a term coined by British anthropologist Robert Marett in the context of his teleological theory of the evolution of religion. It refers to "a belief in a generalized, impersonal power over which people have some measure of control".[1] Marett argues that certain cultures believe "people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects were endowed with certain powers, which were both impersonal and supernatural."[1] Mana, Marett states, is a concentrated form of animatistic force found within any of these objects that confer power, strength, and success.[2]

Animatism is a belief that inanimate, miraculous qualities exists in the natural world. It also talks about the belief that everything is infused with a life force giving each lifeless object personality or perception, but not a soul as in animism. It is a widespread belief among small-scale societies. In South Pacific regions, such as Melanesia and Polynesia, this belief comes in form of manaism, which is derived from mana[3]

Many indigenous cultures believe in animatism. They believe that worshipping inanimate objects will drive them away from the evil forces around.[4] These groups also believe that the inanimate objects they worship have mystical powers that are sent by God to help them on Earth.[4]

Animatism laid the foundation for animism by introducing the notion of supernatural forces residing within lifeless entities, thus paving the way for the development of more complex belief systems.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ferraro, Gary. 2008. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. p. 340
  2. ^ Ferraro, Gary. 2008. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.
  3. ^ "Mana | Polynesian and Melanesian religion". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  4. ^ a b Eswarappa, Kasi; Mathew, Gladis S. (2019), Leeming, David A. (ed.), "Animatism", Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 1–4, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200238-1, ISBN 978-3-642-27771-9, retrieved 2020-10-05
  5. ^ Talianova Eren, Mariia (2020). Folklor Kaynaklarına Göre Eski Türk ve Slav İnanç Sistemi (in Turkish). Gazi Kitapevi. p. 7. ISBN 9786257315203.