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Witches of the Atlantic World: An Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook — Witchcraft Wicca

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Witches of the Atlantic World: An Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook

Name: Witches of the Atlantic World: An Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook
Price: 107.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780814798508

✍️ Breslaw, Elaine G

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This groundbreaking anthology offers an unparalleled, cross-cultural examination of witchcraft from the 15th to 18th centuries. It uniquely blends essential primary historical documents with insightful academic analysis, moving beyond traditional narratives. Delving into Indigenous American, African, and South American perspectives alongside European and New England accounts, it reveals how diverse societies grappled with evil, misfortune, and perceived demonic influence. The collection illustrates how various cultural and religious traditions shaped the complex phenomenon of witchcraft in the nascent Americas, providing a truly global historical context.

Breslaw, Elaine G

📚 all books by this author (2) →

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Witchcraft & Wicca

Praise for this book

“This is a useful collection of material on witchcraft”

— Journal of World History

🏛 New York University Press 📅 2000 📖 550 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9780814798508

Fun Fact

Elaine G. Breslaw's *Witches of the Atlantic World* is an essential addition to any serious occult library. Its strength lies in its meticulous curation of primary sources and its pioneering multicultural lens, offering unparalleled depth. While it excels in historical breadth, those seeking a purely narrative history might find its anthology format less linear. However, for scholars and dedicated readers yearning to engage directly with historical voices and nuanced interpretations of early American and global witchcraft, this volume is indispensable.

📝 Description: Witches of the Atlantic World: An Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook

An anthology of primary documents and scholarly interpretations of witchcraft from the 15th to 18th century This unique anthology is the first to provide a multicultural perspective on witchcraft from the 15th to 18th century. Featuring primary documents as well as scholarly interpretations , Witches of the Atlantic World builds upon information regarding both Christian and non-Christian beliefs about possession and the demonic. Elaine G. Breslaw draws on Native American, African, South American, and African-American sources, as well as the European and New England heritage, to illuminate the ways in which witchcraft in early America was an attempt to understand and control evil and misfortune in the New World. Organized into sections on folklore and magic, diabolical possession, Christian perspectives, and the question of gender, the volume includes selections by Cotton Mather, Matthew Hopkins, and Samuel Willard, among others; Salem trial testimonies; and commentary by a host of distinguished scholars. Together the materials demonstrate how the Protestant and Catholic traditions shaped American concepts, and how multicultural aspects played a key role in the Salem experience. Witches of the Atlantic World sheds new light on one of the most perplexing aspects of American history and provides important background for the continued scholarly and popular interest in witches and witchcraft today.

💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

This anthology is a significant academic contribution that successfully expands the scope of witchcraft studies beyond the usual suspects. However, it is strictly a scholarly work requiring patience and academic inclination; casual readers or those seeking sensationalist folklore will find it dry and dense. The text demands engagement with complex historical analysis rather than offering easy entertainment. It is not suitable for beginners looking for introductory guides or practical magical advice. Only those prepared to navigate rigorous primary sources and cross-cultural comparisons will find the experience rewarding, making it a specialized tool for researchers rather than a general audience bestseller.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars, graduate students, and serious enthusiasts of early modern history will find this anthology invaluable for its rigorous approach to untold narratives. It offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with primary documents that have been largely overlooked in mainstream witchcraft studies. By weaving together diverse cultural viewpoints from the Atlantic World, it provides essential context for understanding how different societies conceptualized evil and misfortune during the 15th to 18th centuries. Readers seeking to move beyond traditional European-centric accounts will appreciate the depth of cross-cultural analysis, making this an indispensable resource for anyone committed to a more global and inclusive understanding of historical witchcraft phenomena.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're drawn to the multifaceted history of magic, religious conflict, and cultural exchange, this book is for you. Scholars and enthusiasts of early American history, religious studies, and comparative folklore will find its primary sources and diverse perspectives invaluable for deepening…

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

This anthology is a significant academic contribution that successfully expands the scope of witchcraft studies beyond the usual suspects. However, it is strictly a scholarly work requiring patience and academic inclination; casual readers or those seeking sensationalist folklore will find it dry and dense. The text demands engagement with complex historical analysis rather than offering easy entertainment. It is not suitable for beginners looking for introductory guides or practical magical advice. Only those prepared to navigate rigorous primary sources and cross-cultural comparisons will find the experience rewarding, making it a specialized tool for researchers rather than a general audience bestseller.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, while Salem trial testimonies are included, this anthology offers a much broader scope. It examines witchcraft across the entire Atlantic World from the 15th to 18th centuries, incorporating diverse cultural perspectives beyond just New England.

This collection features a rich array of primary documents, many translated or originally written in English, making them accessible to modern readers. They are complemented by scholarly interpretations to provide essential historical and cultural context.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Multicultural Witchcraft Perspectives

This volume expands the traditional view of witchcraft beyond European shores, incorporating voices and beliefs from Native American, African, and South American traditions. It highlights how these diverse cultural lenses shaped the understanding and responses to perceived malevolent magic and misfortune in the colonial era, offering a truly global historical context for a often-misunderstood phenomenon.

Demonic Possession & Evil

The collection deeply investigates how both Christian and non-Christian societies interpreted and combated forces of evil and instances of demonic possession. It provides historical documents and scholarly insights into the psychological, social, and religious frameworks people used to explain and control what they perceived as malevolent spiritual influence during this turbulent period of exploration and conquest.

Gender in Accusations

The book dedicates a section to the pivotal role of gender in accusations and perceptions of witchcraft. It explores how societal norms, religious beliefs, and power dynamics significantly influenced who was accused and how they were tried, particularly within the contexts of early American and European witch hunts, revealing underlying social anxieties.

📜 Historical context

This anthology stands as a vital contribution to the study of witchcraft history, moving beyond Eurocentric narratives prevalent in earlier scholarship. It builds upon foundational work detailing European witch hunts while pioneering a truly transnational approach, revealing how the 'Atlantic World' interconnected disparate beliefs about magic, evil, and social control during a transformative historical period.

📚 Glossary

Primary Sourcebook
Atlantic World
Diabolical Possession

📔 Questions to reflect on

How did varying cultural understandings of 'evil' contribute to the diverse manifestations of witchcraft accusations across the Atlantic World?
Reflect on how historical attitudes towards gender influenced who was most often accused of witchcraft and the nature of those accusations.
Considering the primary sources, what parallels can you draw between historical responses to misfortune and modern societal attempts to control perceived threats?