ily ▁adapt able ▁as ▁a ▁po lem ical ▁and ▁ide ological ▁tool ". ▁The ▁links ▁that ▁intellect uals ▁made ▁between ▁magic ▁and ▁" prim it ives " ▁helped ▁to ▁legit im ise ▁European ▁and ▁Euro - American ▁imperial ism ▁and ▁colonial ism , ▁as ▁these ▁Western ▁colonial ists ▁expressed ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁those ▁who ▁believed ▁in ▁and ▁pract iced ▁magic ▁were ▁un fit ▁to ▁govern ▁themselves ▁and ▁should ▁be ▁govern ed ▁by ▁those ▁who , ▁rather ▁than ▁bel ieving ▁in ▁magic , ▁believed ▁in ▁science ▁and / or ▁( Christ ian ) ▁religion . ▁In ▁Ba iley ' s ▁words , ▁" the ▁association ▁of ▁certain ▁pe op les ▁[ wh ether ▁non - Europe ans ▁or ▁poor , ▁rural ▁Europe ans ] ▁with ▁magic ▁served ▁to ▁distance ▁and ▁differenti ate ▁them ▁from ▁those ▁who ▁ruled ▁over ▁them , ▁and ▁in ▁large ▁part ▁to ▁justify ▁that ▁rule ." ▁ ▁Many ▁different ▁definitions ▁of ▁magic ▁have ▁been ▁offered ▁by ▁sch ol ars , ▁although — acc ording ▁to ▁Han eg ra aff — th ese ▁can ▁be ▁understood ▁as ▁variations ▁of ▁a ▁small ▁number ▁of ▁heavily ▁influ ential ▁theories . ▁ ▁Intel lect ual ist ▁approach ▁ ▁The ▁intellectual ist ▁approach ▁to ▁defining ▁magic ▁is ▁associated ▁with ▁two ▁prominent ▁British ▁anth rop olog ists , ▁Edward ▁T yl or ▁and ▁James ▁G . ▁Fra zer . ▁This ▁approach ▁viewed ▁magic ▁as ▁the ▁theoretical ▁opposite ▁of ▁science , ▁and ▁came ▁to ▁pre occup y ▁much ▁anth rop ological ▁thought ▁on ▁the ▁subject . ▁This ▁approach