Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries

by Bengt Ankarloo (Editor)

The history of witchcraft and sorcery has attracted a great deal of interest and debate, but until now studies have been largely from the Anglo-Saxon perspective. This book shows how that approach has blurred our understanding and definition of the issues involved, and sheds new light on the history of witchcraft in England. What had thus far been seen as peculiar to England is here shown to be characteristic of much of northern Europe. Taking into account major new developments in the historiography of witchcraft--in methodology, and in the chronological and geographical scope of the studies--the authors explore the relationship between witchcraft, law, and theology; the origins and nature of the witch's sabbath; the sociology and criminology of witch-hunting; and the comparative approach to European witchcraft. An impressive amount of archival work by all of the contributors has produced an indispensable guide to the study of witchcraft, of interest not only to historians,
but to anthropologists, criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists.

Genres: History, Witchcraft, Anthropology

490 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the scads of other similar volumes, these are mostly rewarding, even if a little well-trod and familiar to the devotee of the subject. This one stands out in particular because it has excellent chapters on peripheral areas (hence the subtitle), like Hungary, Estonia, and Scandinavia, among others.
There is a lot of good comparative stuff (interEuropean, but thankfully not outside of that since arguments grow weak) and a fresh take on the pre-Christian roots of what eventually came to be known as "witchcraft", via Ginzburg and Henningsen, especially. An obligatory opening trio of essays on theology and inquisitorial law (yawn!) give way to strident moves forward in teasing out the folk roots of the phenomenon, especially cross-European parallels. Yet, for all that, there is a lot of missed opportunity here, especially since a lot of historians from disparate and far-removed parts of Europe are basically giving us evidence of things that are very, very, very much alike, making the arguments for some pre-Christian shamanic/fertility goddess shifazzle much more stronger.