Witch Hunt
A Traveler's Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch
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- 22,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
“A transcendent travelogue that guides readers through the history, places, and people of several of the many witch hunts and how their legacy continues to impact us today.”
—Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power
Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Sollée explores the places and people significant to the early modern legacy of the witch.
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors ignited a wildfire of witch hysteria in Europe and, later, in parts of America. At the heart of these witch hunts were often dangerous misconceptions about femininity and female sexuality, and women were disproportionately punished as a result. Today, this lineage of oppression remains a vital reference point in the fight for women’s rights—and human rights—in the Western world and beyond.
By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and moments of imaginative historical fiction, Sollée (author of Witches, Sluts, Feminists) makes an often-overlooked period of history come alive. Written for armchair travelers and on-the-ground explorers alike, Witch Hunt not only uncovers the horrors of history but how the archetype of the witch has been rehabilitated. For witches are not just haunting figures of the past; the witch is also a liberatory icon and identity of the present.
This paperback edition includes a new afterword by the author and an updated travel resources section.
About the Author:
Kristen J. Sollée is the author of three books on the legacy of the witch. Her first book, Witches, Sluts, Feminists, was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its Essential Reads on Feminism for Adults. Devoted to the interplay between art, gender, and occulture, Kristen’s work has recently appeared in National Geographic, the Guardian, Dazed, Teen Vogue, and Atlas Obscura. She teaches at the New School in New York City.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sollee (Witches, Sluts, Feminists), who teaches a course on witches at the New School, explores the archetype of the witch in this entertaining mix of travel guide, journal, and ghost story collection. Highlights include an examination of the divination culture of Italy, including the tarot-dedicated Museo dei Tarocchi in Bologna, and of England's occultism, including the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, where "the occult is inseparable from the landscape." Historical figures such as Joan of Arc in France and Dame Alice in Ireland are recast both as early examples of gender-fluidity and powerful women who were killed by fearful men. These and other historic women are featured in fictionalized "visions" that overcome Sollee, and work as a narrative device in which the dead impart knowledge of their craft and details of their often violent fates. While the author admits these scenes are fantastical, they nicely round out and give context to the catalogue of sites visited. Sollee's informative history doubles as an intriguing travel guide for those interested in the travails of witches and occultists.
