Roundtables

From February to May 2022, we ran a series of roundtables to converge discussion around a set of leading texts that represent existing conceptual and historical scholarship on enchantment in modernity, from the fields of theology, anthropology, the history of science, literature and art, philosophy, marketing and business.

The goal was to map existing knowledge as well as draw out theoretical points of contention through joint readings and discussion of a set of questions relevant for the history of capitalism. For example, we explored:

• What constitutes enchantment in theories of modern religion, of magic, or of other belief systems or ontologies?
• Is enchantment theorized and investigated as a structural or as an individual phenomenon?
• Is enchantment described as a continuous phenomenon (ongoing enchantment), as a new phenomenon (re-enchantment that followed disenchantment), or as historically-specific constellations that change across time and space?
• Is enchantment conceptualized as manipulation or as a form of agency?
• Is materiality fundamental to enchantment?