▁of ▁psych ology , ▁where ▁it ▁was ▁often ▁used ▁syn onym ously ▁with ▁" super st ition ", ▁although ▁the ▁latter ▁term ▁proved ▁more ▁common ▁in ▁early ▁psych ological ▁texts . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁nin ete enth ▁and ▁tw enti eth ▁centuries , ▁folk lor ists ▁exam ined ▁rural ▁communities ▁across ▁Europe ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁mag ical ▁practices , ▁which ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁they ▁typically ▁understood ▁as ▁surv iv als ▁of ▁ancient ▁belief ▁systems . ▁It ▁was ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁that ▁anth rop olog ists ▁like ▁Jean ne ▁F av ret - Sa ada ▁also ▁began ▁looking ▁in ▁depth ▁at ▁magic ▁in ▁European ▁context s , ▁having ▁previously ▁focused ▁on ▁exam ining ▁magic ▁in ▁non - West ern ▁context s . ▁In ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century , ▁magic ▁also ▁proved ▁a ▁topic ▁of ▁interest ▁to ▁the ▁Sur real ists , ▁an ▁art istic ▁movement ▁based ▁largely ▁in ▁Europe ; ▁the ▁Sur real ism ▁Andre ▁Bre ton ▁for ▁instance ▁published ▁L ' Art ▁mag ique ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 7 , ▁discuss ing ▁what ▁he ▁regarded ▁as ▁the ▁links ▁between ▁magic ▁and ▁art . ▁ ▁The ▁scholar ly ▁application ▁of ▁magic ▁as ▁a ▁su i ▁gener is ▁category ▁that ▁can ▁be ▁applied ▁to ▁any ▁so cio - c ult ural ▁context ▁was ▁linked ▁with ▁the ▁promotion ▁of ▁modern ity ▁to ▁both ▁Western ▁and ▁non - West ern ▁aud ien ces . ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁magic ▁has ▁become ▁per vas ive ▁in ▁the ▁popular ▁imagination ▁and