While both disciplines study the same subject, they differ in their goals: anthropology focuses on how witchcraft functions within a living society today, whereas history examines the evolution of witchcraft beliefs and the mechanics of past persecutions. 1. The Anthropological School (Functionalist Style)
Modern academic research on witchcraft is generally divided between two primary styles or "schools of thought": the and the Historical School .
Witchcraft is a social mechanism used to explain "unfortunate events" (like a house collapsing or a crop failing) that lack an obvious cause.