Animatism

Animatism is a term coined by British anthropologist Robert Marett in the context of his teleological theory of the evolution of religion. It refers to "a belief in a generalized, impersonal power over which people have some measure of control".[1] Marett argues that certain cultures believe "people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects were endowed with certain powers, which were both impersonal and supernatural."[1] Mana, Marett states, is a concentrated form of animatistic force found within any of these objects that confer power, strength, and success.[2]

Animatism is a belief that inanimate, miraculous qualities exists in the natural world. It also talks about the belief that everything is infused with a life force giving each lifeless object personality or perception, but not a soul as in animism. It is a widespread belief among small-scale societies. In South Pacific regions, such as Melanesia and Polynesia, this belief comes in form of manaism, which is derived from mana[3]

Many indigenous cultures believe in animatism. They believe that worshipping inanimate objects will drive them away from the evil forces around.[4] These groups also believe that the inanimate objects they worship have mystical powers that are sent by God to help them on Earth.[4]

Animatism laid the foundation for animism by introducing the notion of supernatural forces residing within lifeless entities, thus paving the way for the development of more complex belief systems.[5][6]

## See also

* Animism
* Religion

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ferraro, Gary. 2008. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. p. 340
2. ↑ Ferraro, Gary. 2008. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.
3. ↑ "Mana | Polynesian and Melanesian religion" (in en). https://www.britannica.com/topic/mana-Polynesian-and-Melanesian-religion.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eswarappa, Kasi; Mathew, Gladis S. (2019), Leeming, David A., ed., "Animatism" (in en), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer): pp. 1–4, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200238-1, ISBN 978-3-642-27771-9, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200238-1, retrieved 2020-10-05
5. ↑ Talianova Eren, Mariia (2020) (in tr). Folklor Kaynaklarına Göre Eski Türk ve Slav İnanç Sistemi. Gazi Kitapevi. pp. 7. ISBN 9786257315203.
6. ↑ Koto, Koray (2023-06-30). "Animatism and Mana: Early Stages of Religious Evolution" (in en-US). https://ulukayin.org/animatism-and-mana/.

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