Exploring the crime of witchcraft in early modern England, this book focuses on legal questions of proof. As a capital crime - yet one that was uniquely difficult to prove - witchcraft investigations and trials offer a fascinating lens through which to observe social and judicia…
While working in Africa, anthropologist Julien Bonhomme encountered an astonishing phenomenon: people being accused of stealing or shrinking the genitals of strangers on the simple occasion of a handshake on the street. As he soon discovered, these accusations can have dramatic …
While working in Africa, anthropologist Julien Bonhomme encountered an astonishing phenomenon: people being accused of stealing or shrinking the genitals of strangers on the simple occasion of a handshake on the street. As he soon discovered, these accusations can have dramatic …
"Magic, both benevolent and malign, has been practiced in the British Isles since at least the Iron Age. The Anglo-Saxons used ritual curses in documents, and wrote spells and charms. When they became Christians, the new "magicians" were saints, who performed miracles. The Churc…
There are no clear demarcation lines between magic, astrology, necromancy, medicine, and even sciences in the pre-modern world. Under the umbrella term 'magic, ' the contributors to this volume examine a wide range of texts, both literary and religious, both medical and philosop…
