<p>The occult is a framework of ideas and related practices that is drawn upon as a common resource to provide an understanding of how an apparently random world 'really' works. Based mainly on experiential research in a range of African societies, the essays in this volume examine the relevance of the occult to a variety of social concepts and contexts. These studies stress three features of the occult in modern Africa: <p>1) as an explanatory and tactical device, it is resilient; <br>2) it is malleable, with a capacity to absorb and assimilate new elements; <br>3) it is flexible and adaptable to emerging situations and novel circumstances. <p>Of interest to specialists in the fields of religion, social science and African studies, this book also caters for the general reader interested in the occult and its relevance to modernity and globalization.<p><i>James Kiernan</i> is professor of anthropology at the University of Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa).