About the author
Peter Geschiere is a Dutch anthropologist, professor emeritus at the University of Amsterdam, known for his research on witchcraft, intimacy and the state in Central and West Africa, building on his earlier study The Modernity of Witchcraft. His book Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust: Africa in Comparison, published by University of Chicago Press in 2013, examines how accusations of witchcraft arise specifically among people bound by close relationships, family, neighbors, colleagues, and situates African witchcraft discourse within a broader comparative frame that includes European and other traditions of intimate betrayal. Geschiere approaches witchcraft as a social and political phenomenon rather than a supernatural claim, tracing how ideas of occult aggression track the boundaries of trust in rapidly changing societies. His work is grounded in long-term ethnographic fieldwork, primarily in Cameroon, and is read mainly by scholars and students of African studies, anthropology and the comparative study of witchcraft.
📖 Where to start with Peter Geschiere
💬 What our editors say about Peter Geschiere's books
“Geschiere provides a compelling, albeit unsettling, study that unmask witchcraft as a reflection of fears about intimacy and betrayal. The text moves beyond simplistic interpretations to argue that these beliefs emerge from…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust: Africa in Comparison
“Geschiere offers a groundbreaking redefinition of witchcraft, moving it away from mere supernaturalism toward a lens on human complexity. The comparative approach is rigorous and insightful, revealing universal anxieties about…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust: Africa in Comparison
