Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History

In this major new book, Wolfgang Behringer surveys the phenomenonof witchcraft past and present. Drawing on the latest historicaland anthropological findings, Behringer sheds new light on thehistory of European witchcraft, while demonstrating thatwitch-hunts are not simply part of the European past. Althoughwitch-hunts have long since been outlawed in Europe, othersocieties have struggled with the idea that witchcraft does notexist. As Behringer shows, witch-hunts continue to pose a majorproblem in Africa and among tribal people in America, Asia andAustralia. The belief that certain people are able to cause harm bysupernatural powers endures throughout the world today.





Wolfgang Behringer explores the idea of witchcraft as ananthropological phenomenon with a historical dimension, aiming tooutline and to understand the meaning of large-scale witchcraftpersecutions in early modern Europe and in present-day Africa. Hedeals systematically with the belief in witchcraft and thepersecution of witches, as well as with the process of outlawingwitch-hunts. He examines the impact of anti-witch-hunt legislationin Europe, and discusses the problems caused in societies whereEuropean law was imposed in colonial times. In conclusion, therelationship between witches old and new is assessed.





This book will make essential reading for all those interested inthe history and anthropology of witchcraft and magic.