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ERIC Number: ED367378
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990-Nov
Pages: 45
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Treatment of the Occult in General Encyclopedias.
Sonnenfeld, Gary F.
This paper is a content analysis of three general encyclopedias, "Encyclopedia Americana" (EA), "Encyclopaedia Brittanica" (EB), and "World Book Encyclopedia" (WBC), which quantifies the treatment of the occult. Entries are selected from each by starting with the article "Occultism" and tracing all cross-references. Cross-references are likewise selected from all cross-referenced terms. Entries are then analyzed statement by statement; each is then placed into one of 21 categories. The results are presented in ranked lists. Analysis concludes that the EA emphasizes miscellaneous information, background material, history, and favorable claims; EB emphasizes history and the social history and the social, cultural, and artistic origins of many occult beliefs; and WBC includes much miscellaneous information but also stresses background material, history, and positive claims. A glossary of occult terms is appended. (Contains 22 references.) (JLB)
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A