Abstract

Supernatural storytelling is as old as the story itself. From myths and legends all the way to modern fantasy fiction, humans all around the world are attracted to various supernatural agents, magical powers, fantastic beasts, and imaginary worlds. Stories about the supernatural have always been an important aspect of human culture that we can trace from the Upper Paleolithic cave art, around 40,000 years ago. I argue that stories that have supernatural elements are an extension of our magical thinking capabilities. I hypothesize that they facilitate a cognitive play that helps us process and regulate emotions. Furthermore, I see supernatural stories, religious and fantasy alike, as playgrounds for magical thinking. They transmit this evolutionary significant tool to the new generation. I apply this theory to the understanding of the Harry Potter stories.

About the speaker

Armin Stefanović is a PhD candidate at the Doctoral School for Literatures and Cultures in English, University of Szeged, Hungary. He was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina where he studied Bosnian Literature and Language. He studied History at the Central European University in Budapest and Vienna. His main research interest is supernatural storytelling from a biocultural perspective. In 2020 he published a book of poetry, Nemo i plovidba za srećom [Nemo and the Sail for Happyness].

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