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Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries — Witchcraft Wicca

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Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries

Name: Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries
Price: 110.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780198203889

✍️ Bengt Ankarloo, Gustav Hennindgsen, Ankarloo

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A 490 page collection examining regional differences and legal systems in early modern European witchcraft.

Key Themes

early modern legal systems regional European witchcraft differences religious beliefs and sorcery

Literary Context

This volume sits within the study of early modern Europe, examining the religious beliefs and legal developments surrounding sorcery and witchcraft across varied continental regions.

Ankarloo, Bengt; , Hennindgsen, Gustav; , Ankarloo

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic · Brian Levack's The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe · Lyndal Roper's Oedipus and the Devil · Scott G. Knowles' The Evolution of American Witchcraft

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Witchcraft & Wicca

Praise for this book

“Opens new perspectives with almost every article...This marvelous book...is the best book on witchcraft I have read since Stolen Lightning and it is much easier to follow. It is mandatory for all students of the legal systems and the religious beliefs of early modern Europe...A truly international and interdisciplinary masterwork.”

— Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance

“The republication of these pathbreaking studies in paper makes available to a wide variety of readers bold new work which clarifies the common threads and regional differences in early-modern witchcraft.”

— Ralph Keen, University of Iowa

“Retains a freshness of approach largely because it contains so many interesting studies...All the essays have something valuable to contribute to our understanding.”

— History Today

🏛 OUP Oxford 📅 1993 📖 490 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780198203889

Fun Fact

This essential collection courageously reorients the study of Early Modern European witchcraft. It excels at demonstrating the profound diversity of beliefs and persecutions across the continent, moving beyond a tired Anglo-Saxon bias. While indispensable for serious students and scholars, those seeking a single, linear narrative or an introductory text might find its academic depth and regional focus less immediate. Nevertheless, it remains a landmark work, significantly enriching our understanding of this fascinating and often misunderstood historical phenomenon.

📝 Description: Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries

Bengt Ankarloo and Gustav Henningsen bring together a essential collection of scholarly essays that intentionally move past the traditional Anglo-Saxon focus in historical witchcraft studies. Published by OUP Oxford, this comprehensive 490 page paperback compiles rigorous international and interdisciplinary research detailing precisely how evolving legal systems, judicial institutions, and religious beliefs directly shaped early modern European sorcery across both core continental territories and distant regional borders. The carefully collected works thoroughly analyze the delicate balance between central authorities and local traditions, effectively clarifying common legal patterns alongside distinct regional differences. By offering a much broader perspective on historical trials, the contributors illuminate the complex cultural, theological, and legal dynamics that defined the early modern European experience with magic, prosecution, and local belief systems.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

While this collection is a seminal contribution to historiography, it is not for casual readers or those seeking dramatic, narrative-driven accounts of witch trials. The dense academic prose and focus on structural analysis may alienate general audiences expecting accessible storytelling. It requires patience and a background in historical study to fully appreciate the meticulous re-examination of records. However, for experts in early modern history, religious studies, or gender studies, it offers profound insights into the cultural mechanics of persecution. It is a rigorous, necessary work that demands engagement rather than passive consumption.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

This text is essential for serious scholars, historians, and advanced enthusiasts who feel constrained by traditional Western-centric accounts of witchcraft. By centering the 'peripheries,' it offers a vital corrective to established narratives, revealing how local cultural nuances and societal anxieties shaped magical practices across Europe. Readers seeking to understand the complex tapestry of belief, persecution, and legal responses beyond the familiar Anglo-Saxon lens will find this collection indispensable. It provides a panoramic view that redefines our understanding of Early Modern sorcery, making it a crucial resource for anyone dedicated to uncovering the overlooked narratives that have long been obscured by conventional wisdom.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you've delved into the history of witchcraft and found yourself craving a broader, more nuanced understanding beyond the familiar English trials, this book is for you. It's essential for anyone seeking to deepen their grasp of Early Modern European societal beliefs and the diverse…

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

While this collection is a seminal contribution to historiography, it is not for casual readers or those seeking dramatic, narrative-driven accounts of witch trials. The dense academic prose and focus on structural analysis may alienate general audiences expecting accessible storytelling. It requires patience and a background in historical study to fully appreciate the meticulous re-examination of records. However, for experts in early modern history, religious studies, or gender studies, it offers profound insights into the cultural mechanics of persecution. It is a rigorous, necessary work that demands engagement rather than passive consumption.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Unlike many prior studies, this collection deliberately moves beyond the English-speaking world, offering a crucial pan-European perspective that highlights the diverse nature of witchcraft beliefs and persecutions across the continent's various regions.

While accessible, its comprehensive and academic approach makes it particularly rewarding for readers already familiar with foundational witchcraft studies, who are now seeking a deeper, more geographically expansive understanding of the subject.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Comparative Witchcraft Studies

This collection boldly expands the geographical scope of witchcraft studies, moving past the common focus on English and Scottish cases. By exploring varied regions across Europe, it reveals how local cultures, legal systems, and religious beliefs dramatically shaped the experience and perception of magic and its persecution, offering a truly continental perspective.

Redefining Witchcraft

The book critically reassesses established definitions and understandings of witchcraft and sorcery. It argues that a singular, Anglo-Saxon-centric approach has blurred our comprehension of the diverse phenomena grouped under these terms, urging readers to consider the distinct historical and social contexts that informed accusations and beliefs throughout Europe.

The European Peripheries

Shifting focus from well-studied centers, this work illuminates the unique manifestations of witchcraft beliefs and persecutions in less-examined European regions. It highlights how these 'peripheries' offer crucial insights into the broader historical landscape, demonstrating the variability and local adaptations of what was broadly understood as supernatural transgression.

📜 Historical context

This volume emerged at a crucial juncture in witchcraft historiography, challenging the prevailing Anglo-centric scholarship of the late 20th century. It represents a significant stride towards a more global, or at least pan-European, understanding of the witch hunts, moving away from national narratives to embrace comparative and regional studies that highlight the diversity of the phenomenon.

📚 Glossary

Early Modern Europe
Sorcery
Peripheries

📔 Questions to reflect on

Consider how your understanding of 'witchcraft' might be influenced by popular culture. How does a broader, pan-European historical perspective challenge or confirm those assumptions?
If the Anglo-Saxon perspective has 'blurred our understanding,' what specific aspects of witchcraft history do you think might have been misrepresented or overlooked by a narrow focus?
Reflect on how local customs, legal systems, or religious beliefs in different European regions could have led to distinct forms of accusation, trial, or punishment for sorcery.