Trades of the Trick: Conjuring Culture in Modern France

This dissertation ethnographically explores the emergence of sociality and value from transactions of secrecy and deception within a complex, often neglected sphere of expertise: entertainment magic. Magicians cultivate a paradoxical form of knowledge: deceptive yet entertaining, concealed yet shared, secret yet performed. Based on 18 months of ethnographic research in France, a country often considered the birthplace of modern magic, this project examines the world of activity that takes shape around the creation, transmission and display of magicians' secretive skills. It explores the social and verbal constitution of magic as a performance practice in a modern, Western setting, with attention to evolving economic, socio-cultural, political, and technological conditions. Each chapter addressees a different facet of magic in France: symbolic resonances; national cultural patrimony; state cultural patronage; professional careers; sociability and learning; crises of secrecy; gender and performance. Ultimately, this study offers a new approach to the anthropology of magic, a topic traditionally associated with interpreting rationality as a defining attribute of human nature.