Video: Magic in the United States. A conversation with Dr. Heather Freeman

Gnoseologies host Giovanna Parmigiani speaks with Heather Freeman about her podcast Magic in the United States and the personal and professional journey behind it. Magic in the United States is a podcast examining how magic, religion, spirituality, and folk practices intersect with broader cultural conflicts in American history. Funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and produced and distributed by PRX, the podcast brings the history of American magical, magickal, and “magical” practices to diverse audiences in the United States and abroad.

Freeman, the podcast’s host and writer, reflects on how the project serves both as a tribute to communities of magical practitioners and as an effort to inspire greater religious curiosity and literacy in the United States. She also discusses her ongoing interest in the evolving landscape of magico-religious practices.

Heather D. Freeman is a Professor of Art in Digital Media in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from Rutgers University and a BA in Fine Art and German Studies from Oberlin College. Additionally, Freeman is the host and writer of Magic in the United States, created in collaboration with PRX and funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.