This course analyzes European witchcraft beliefs and the early modern witch craze in a comparative and transatlantic perspective. We will examine the ancient origins of western witchcraft beliefs in the Mediterranean, the cultural reasons for believing that certain individuals were witches, and the causes and consequences of the waves of trials and executions that disrupted families and communities. Comparing European witchcraft persecutions with the better-known Salem witch trials and with witchcraft beliefs in the colonial Americas and the Caribbean deepens our understanding of witchcraft as a universal phenomenon and our knowledge of the historical particularity of the early modern European witch craze. Later in the semester, we will explore how witchcraft has experienced a modern revival, both in pop culture and in practice.
- Teacher: Anna Bennett