The History of Witchcraft and Women

About

The Witch is having a moment. With over 7 million ‘WitchTok’ posts on TikTok, she’s become a feminist icon. In today’s #MeToo world, women are reclaiming the Witch as both a symbol of past persecution and present empowerment. Centuries ago, thousands of women were tried and burned at the stake for witchcraft.

Between 1450 and 1750, around 100,000 people were tried for witchcraft, 75% of them women. Fears often centered on the female body, particularly the post-menopausal body. However, men were also accused, raising the question: why were they targeted in such a patriarchal society? This talk will explore the legacy of the early modern witch-hunts and how the Witch is now being reclaimed as a symbol of feminism, activism, and empowerment.

Speaker Bio:

Dr Laura Kounine is an Associate Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Sussex, where she specialises in witch-hunting, feminism, emotions, gender, and selfhood. She holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. Her 2018 book, Imagining the Witch: Emotions, Gender and Selfhood in Early Modern Germany, was published by Oxford University Press, and she is co-editor of the upcoming Cambridge Companion to the Witch. Kounine also writes reviews for the Times Literary Supplement and has contributed to the BBC Sounds ‘Witch’ podcast and the Channel 4 documentary Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials.