Jane Parish

Biography

I am an anthropologist whose research looks at how undocumented Ghanaians in New York City employ magic to critique ideas about accumulation, consumption and the lavish wealth and lifestyles of Manhattan’s elites. In particular, I have examined how social and moral conflicts about power are negotiated through West African witchcraft discourses and written extensively on this. More recently, I have published work on spectral material culture through an examination of the rituals of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I am currently analyzing the cultural history of magic, illusion, and fakery since 1920.

Research and scholarship

Research interests include: West African witchcraft, conspiracy theories, moral obligation, trust and secrecy among extended kin networks. My PhD looked at anti witchcraft shrines in Ghana.

Since then my major research themes have been:

• Witchcraft and occult discourses amongst the Africa diaspora looking especially at West African communities in Liverpool, Paris and New York
• West African anti witchcraft shrines in Paris and New York
• Conspiracy theories and the global economy

Teaching

• SOC-10013 Modernity and its Darkside - Module Leader
• SOC-20033 Witchcraft, Zombies and Social Anxiety - Module Leader
• SOC-30025 Streets, Skyscrapers and Slums