. ▁While ▁" mag ic " ▁remains ▁an ▁em ic ▁( ins ider ) ▁term ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁Western ▁soci eties , ▁it ▁remains ▁an ▁et ic ▁( outs ider ) ▁term ▁when ▁applied ▁to ▁non - West ern ▁soci eties . ▁During ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century , ▁many ▁sch ol ars ▁foc using ▁on ▁Asian ▁and ▁African ▁soci eties ▁rejected ▁the ▁term ▁" mag ic ", ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁related ▁concepts ▁like ▁" w itch craft ", ▁in ▁favour ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁precise ▁terms ▁and ▁concepts ▁that ▁existed ▁within ▁these ▁specific ▁soci eties . ▁A ▁similar ▁approach ▁has ▁been ▁taken ▁by ▁many ▁sch ol ars ▁studying ▁pre - mod ern ▁soci eties ▁in ▁Europe , ▁such ▁as ▁Class ical ▁anti qu ity , ▁who ▁find ▁the ▁modern ▁concept ▁of ▁' mag ic ' ▁in app ropri ate ▁and ▁favour ▁more ▁specific ▁terms ▁origin ating ▁within ▁the ▁framework ▁of ▁the ▁ancient ▁cult ures ▁which ▁they ▁are ▁studying . ▁Altern ately , ▁this ▁term ▁implies ▁that ▁all ▁categories ▁of ▁magic ▁are ▁eth noc ent ric ▁and ▁that ▁such ▁Western ▁pre con ception s ▁are ▁an ▁un av oid able ▁component ▁of ▁scholar ly ▁research . ▁ ▁Many ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁term ▁as ▁an ▁analyt ical ▁tool ▁within ▁academic ▁scholar ship ▁should ▁be ▁rejected ▁altogether . ▁ ▁The ▁scholar ▁of ▁religion ▁Jonathan ▁Z . ▁Smith ▁for ▁example ▁argued ▁that ▁it ▁had ▁no ▁utility ▁as ▁an ▁et ic ▁term ▁that ▁sch ol ars ▁should ▁use . ▁The