The Evil Eye in Material Culture: Late Antiquity to Medieval Islam

Catalog description

The pan-Mediterranean phenomenon often referred to as the “evil eye” is an enduring belief that certain individuals possess the power to exert harm through the gaze. Fear of the dangerous potential of the evil eye to cause illness, misfortune, and even sudden death led many cultures to develop artifacts and practices they believed offered protection or treatment for the effects of the evil eye. Images, inscriptions, and efficacious materials were key contributors to the perceived efficacy of these apotropaic and therapeutic material practices. This seminar explores the material culture of the evil eye (and relevant texts) in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East from pre-Islamic late antiquity (200-600 CE) to medieval Islam (1200-1400 CE). Students will engage in cross-cultural analysis, examining a range of artifacts and images across media, and consider recurring themes, including the relationship between artifacts and the body, debates surrounding licit and illicit magical practices, and potential intersections between material and textual evidence. Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Art Satisfies a minor requirement in Arab Studies Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Middle East Studies Satisfies the Visual and Performing Arts requirement Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement