About the author
Adam Ashforth is the author of two studies on witchcraft and its social consequences in southern Africa, both published by University of Chicago Press. Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa examines how a young democratic state governs a population that takes the reality of witchcraft seriously, and what follows when the law refuses to recognise witchcraft as a punishable offence. The Trials of Mrs. K.: Seeking Justice in a World with Witches follows a single case, a Malawian nurse accused of teaching witchcraft to children, tracing the legal, social and psychological toll of the accusation on her and her community. Both books treat witchcraft as a lived social and political fact rather than a spiritual practice, drawing on fieldwork and case material from South Africa and Malawi, and are written for readers interested in African studies and the politics of belief rather than for practitioners of any tradition.
📖 Where to start with Adam Ashforth
💬 What our editors say about Adam Ashforth's books
“Ashforth delivers a meticulous unpacking of the interplay between witchcraft beliefs and escalating crime in Soweto. The text is rigorous and dense, offering a compelling critique of how a democratic government navigates…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa
“This text demands patience from readers expecting light entertainment or supernatural thrillers. It is a dense, serious ethnography that may alienate those looking for quick plots or magical escapism. While academically robust,…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Trials of Mrs. K.: Seeking Justice in a World with Witches
“This text is a rigorous academic examination that may alienate casual readers seeking narrative escapism. It demands patience for dense theoretical analysis and legal discourse rather than offering a gripping, plot-driven…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Trials of Mrs. K.: Seeking Justice in a World with Witches
📋 Editions by Adam Ashforth in the catalog
| Edition | Year | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa | 2005 | University of Chicago Pres | 376 | 9780226029740 |
| The Trials of Mrs. K.: Seeking Justice in a World with Witches | — | University of Chicago Pres | 192 | 9780226322360 |
| The Trials of Mrs. K.: Seeking Justice in a World with Witches | — | University of Chicago Pres | 192 | 9780226322223 |
