Beliefs on and Effects of Black Magic on Educated Women
1.0 Introduction
Black magic is considered a form of sorcery which involves killing, stealing, injuring and causing misfortune or destruction. Black magic is mostly used for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences to other people. It is a sort of a ritual that a specific person or group of persons performs, and based on the nature of the ritual, many people does not approve of it. Specifically, black magic includes love spells, true name spells, voodoo, immortality, curses and hexes and demon summoning. In some places, however, black magic is performed as part of a religious ritual.
According to women are more prone to using fortune telling, witchcraft and black magic because of the belief that it bestows women with power specifically those that are related to gender. Black magic, in particular, is used as a tool to threaten men and impose power on them. Some women, who are usually illiterate, but also literate, use black magic to exercise power and thus subvert gender roles assigned to them. Although black magic is generally considered as negative, it is believed that it offer solutions and remedies to weak, problem-stricken literate and illiterate men and women that are victims of social stress that they cannot handle (2003).
Middle eastern women also use amulets and magic to prevent, inflict, diagnose and cure spiritual, bodily and social malaise. Women’s usage reputedly far exceeds that of men, reflecting restrictive means of control relative to men and primarily against other women. While rural, uneducated women appear more intensively invested in the use of amulets and magic than urban educated women ( 2003).
2.0 Problem Statement
Basically, women seeking black magic are not your average ordinary women instead are educated, intelligent and sophisticated women and with well-paying jobs. In Pakistan, for instance, 52% believe in charms, 44% believe in black magic and 40% believe in palmistry. Notable is the fact that national newspapers publish advertisements on palmist and black magicians. Pakistani women go to black magicians to get some talismanic amulet so that they can gain influence over their husbands and these women are mostly scared of their mother in laws. It does make sense why women opt for the services of black magicians to solve their problems.
The problem is how black magic affects the quality of lives of these women who rather should think rationally. The following research questions will be given answer to:
1) How do educated Pakistani women perceive black magic? What is black magic for them and what it can do to their lives?
2) What are their reasons of using black magic?
3) Is black magic altering the ways of thinking and lifestyles of educated Pakistani women? In what specific ways?
4) Are there positive and negative outcomes of relying to black magic? What are those?
3.0 Aim and Objectives
The main aim of this study is to explore how black magic situates itself in Pakistani society particularly for educated Pakistani women. In lieu with this, the following research objectives will be addressed:
- Determine how educated women perceive black magic
- Determine why they use black magic to solve and remedy their problems
- Determine how black magic affects the lives of these women
4.0 Methodology
Interpretivism is the necessary research philosophy for this study because it allows searching the ‘details of the situation to understand the reality or perhaps a reality working behind them’ (1998). For this study, the descriptive research method will be utilised. (1994) states that a descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research. (1970) also noted that this type of research concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing.
My research will operate within the cross-sectional design, as I will be collecting data on more than one case using structured questionnaires. The benefit of this would be that Ì would be able to focus on the breath of the research. Moreover, by exploring the breath of the topic, I am increasing my validity and the truthfulness of my research, and thereby minimise the confounding variables. I am planning to survey educated Pakistani women and derive from then insights on how and why they resort to using black magic. Through a convenience sampling of educated Pakistani women, I intend to survey at least 50 of them.
The research will utilise both primary and secondary research. In primary research, the study will use structured questionnaire as instrument. It is planned that the questionnaire will have 5-point Likert scale and ranking questions. A secondary research will also be conducted in the study. Sources in secondary research will include previous research reports, newspaper, magazine and book and journal content. Existing findings on journals and existing knowledge on books will be used as secondary research. The interpretation will be conducted which can account as qualitative in nature.
Quantitative analysis will be also applied. The results of the quantitative part of paper will be processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to address the central questions indicated in the earlier part of the paper. Further, the thesis will be presented in written form with the addition of data charts which will present the project’s results. Pie charts and network charts will be needed to illustrate some of the analysed data. This cannot be confirmed, however, until the research data have been analysed.
5.0 Timeframe
TASK
Weeks
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
Read literature
Finalize objectives
Draft literature review
Devise research approach
Review secondary data
Organize survey
Develop survey questions
Conduct survey
Analyze secondary and primary data
Evaluate data
Draft findings chapter
Complete remaining chapters
Submit to tutor and await feedback
Revise draft and format for submission
Print, bind and submit
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