Conjuring Asia
Magic, Orientalism, and the Making of the Modern World

This book charts the history of modern magic across India, China and Japan, analyzing representations in the cultural imagination of the West.

Chris Goto-Jones (Author)

9781107076594, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 July 2016

336 pages, 14 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.67 kg

'If you have ever wondered about the performance magic of India, China or Japan this is the book to read. It is a thoroughly engaging study, with approachable scholarship and fascinating notes; it considers these 'Oriental' magics not only historically but also philosophically, culturally and politically. A truly wonderful book.' Eugene Burger, magician and author

The promise of magic has always commanded the human imagination, but the story of industrial modernity is usually seen as a process of disenchantment. Drawing on the writings and performances of the so-called 'Golden Age Magicians' from the turn of the twentieth century, Chris Goto-Jones unveils the ways in which European and North American encounters with (and representations of) Asia - the fabled Mystic East - worked to re-enchant experiences of the modern world. Beginning with a reconceptualization of the meaning of 'modern magic' itself - moving beyond conventional categories of 'real' and 'fake' magic - Goto-Jones' acclaimed book guides us on a magical mystery tour around India, China, and Japan, showing us levitations and decapitations, magic duels and bullet catches, goldfish bowls and paper butterflies. In the end, this mesmerizing book reveals Orientalism as a kind of magic in itself, casting a spell over Western culture that leaves it transformed, even today.

Introduction: magic in the world
Part I: 1. Modern magic in history and theory
2. A theory of modern magic
3. Oriental(ist) magic
Part II: 4. Indian magic and magic in India
5. Chinese magic and magic in China
6. Japanese magic and magic in Japan
Conclusion: magic in the world.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX]