Women, Not Witches: A Historiographical Analysis on the Role of Gender and Sexuality in the Witch Craze of Pre-Modern Western Europe
Abstract:
The witch craze of pre-modern Europe consisted of over a century of trials and executions, with this series of events taking place primarily between the years of 1560-1700. During the witch craze, thousands of people were arrested and put on trial for allegations of witchcraft, with many of these people being tortured or executed as a result. Witch trials began to spike throughout all of Europe, but reached their peak in the northwestern regions of the continent. There were many contributing factors to the domino effect that sparked the witch craze, with some of these including stricter laws and religious reform brought forward by the events of the Protestant Reformation. My primary thesis argues, however, that the root cause of the witch craze in Europe was embedded within the rigid gender roles and perceptions towards female sexuality and purity culture that have been in place since the medieval era. Throughout this project, I will make this argument by first exploring the contexts and origins of the European witch trials, analyzing the existing scholarship within the historical field, and finally analyzing two detailed case studies that each offer unique perspectives and experiences on this intersectional topic.