▁power ". ▁Similarly , ▁Rand all ▁St y ers ▁noted ▁that ▁attempting ▁to ▁define ▁magic ▁represents ▁" an ▁act ▁of ▁dem arc ation " ▁by ▁which ▁it ▁is ▁ju xt ap osed ▁against ▁" other ▁social ▁practices ▁and ▁modes ▁of ▁knowledge " ▁such ▁as ▁" rel ig ion " ▁and ▁" s cience ". ▁The ▁historian ▁Kar en ▁Louise ▁J olly ▁described ▁magic ▁as ▁" a ▁category ▁of ▁ex clusion , ▁used ▁to ▁define ▁an ▁un accept able ▁way ▁of ▁thinking ▁as ▁either ▁the ▁opposite ▁of ▁religion ▁or ▁of ▁science ". ▁ ▁Within ▁Western ▁culture , ▁the ▁term ▁" mag ic " ▁has ▁been ▁linked ▁to ▁ideas ▁of ▁the ▁Other , ▁foreign ness , ▁and ▁primit iv ism . ▁In ▁St y ers ' ▁words , ▁it ▁has ▁become ▁" a ▁powerful ▁marker ▁of ▁cultural ▁difference ". ▁It ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁repeatedly ▁presented ▁as ▁the ▁arch et yp ally ▁non - mod ern ▁phenomen on . ▁Among ▁Western ▁intellect uals ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁nin ete enth ▁and ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁centuries , ▁magic ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁defining ▁feature ▁of ▁" prim itive " ▁mental ities ▁and ▁was ▁commonly ▁attributed ▁to ▁marg inal ▁groups , ▁locations , ▁and ▁periods . ▁ ▁The ▁concept ▁and ▁term ▁" mag ic " ▁developed ▁in ▁European ▁society ▁and ▁thus ▁using ▁it ▁when ▁discuss ing ▁non - West ern ▁cult ures ▁or ▁pre - mod ern ▁forms ▁of ▁Western ▁society ▁ra ises ▁problems , ▁as ▁it ▁may ▁imp ose ▁Western ▁categories ▁that ▁are ▁al ien ▁to ▁them