▁historian ▁of ▁religion ▁W outer ▁Han eg ra aff ▁agreed , ▁stating ▁that ▁" the ▁term ▁magic ▁is ▁an ▁important ▁object ▁of ▁historical ▁research , ▁but ▁not ▁intended ▁for ▁doing ▁research ." ▁Ba iley ▁noted ▁that , ▁as ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 1 st ▁century , ▁few ▁sch ol ars ▁sought ▁grand ▁definitions ▁of ▁magic ▁but ▁instead ▁focused ▁their ▁att ent ions ▁on ▁" care ful ▁attention ▁to ▁particular ▁context s ", ▁exam ining ▁what ▁a ▁term ▁like ▁magic ▁meant ▁to ▁a ▁given ▁society ; ▁this ▁approach , ▁he ▁noted , ▁" call [ ed ] ▁into ▁question ▁the ▁legit im acy ▁of ▁magic ▁as ▁a ▁universal ▁category ". ▁The ▁sch ol ars ▁of ▁religion ▁Ber nd t - Christ ian ▁Otto ▁and ▁Michael ▁St aus berg ▁suggested ▁that ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁perfectly ▁possible ▁for ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁talk ▁about ▁am u lets , ▁curs es , ▁he aling ▁procedures , ▁and ▁other ▁cultural ▁practices ▁often ▁regarded ▁as ▁mag ical ▁in ▁Western ▁culture ▁without ▁any ▁rec ourse ▁to ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁itself . ▁The ▁idea ▁that ▁" mag ic " ▁should ▁be ▁rejected ▁as ▁an ▁analyt ic ▁term ▁developed ▁in ▁anth rop ology , ▁before ▁moving ▁into ▁Class ical ▁studies ▁and ▁Bib lic al ▁studies ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁Since ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁the ▁term ' s ▁usage ▁among ▁sch ol ars ▁of ▁religion ▁has ▁decl ined . ▁ ▁Et ym ology , ▁history ▁and ▁concept ual ▁development ▁ ▁An