America bewitched : the story of witchcraft after Salem
Record details
- ISBN: 9780199578719 (hbk.)
- ISBN: 0199578710 (hbk.)
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Physical Description:
print
viii, 289 pages, [16] pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm - Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-271) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | 1. Aftermath : Salem: never again? ; The witchcraft of others ; Reporting witchcraft ; Where to find witchcraft ; A five points witch -- 2. Magic of a new land : Snakes and roots ; Witch balls ; What happened to the fairies? ; They shoot witches don't they? -- 3. The law : The squire ; Fiasco in Fentress ; Delaware witches beware ; What's in a name? ; Dealing with slander German-style ; Popular understanding -- 4. Witches : Three sorts of witch ; Doing witchcraft: lizards, bags, and dolls ; Witchcraft fantasies ; Skin shedding and shape-shifting ; The new witches -- 5. Dealing with witches : Pillow talk ; Confronting the witch ; The witch must die ; Attacking from a distance ; Warding off witchery ; Written charms ; Catholic armoury ; Bringing in the experts -- 6. Dealing with witch believers : The other Salem witch trials ; Alaska: of barbers and gunboats ; The Pennsylvania problem -- 7. Insanity : Putting it to the test ; Blame it on the roots ; Paranoia in the heat ; A danger to the public: incarcerating witch believers -- 8. Witch killings up close : Beard-stroking and friendly words: witchcraft in Sullivan County ; Big trouble at Booger Hole ; Solomon Hotema: Choctaw witch killer -- 9. Times a-changing : Reinventing witchcraft ; Finding an American heritage ; And so back to Salem. |
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- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
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Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirtland Community College Library | BF 1573 .D38 2013 | 30775305464829 | General Collection | Available | - |
America Bewitched : The Story of Witchcraft after Salem
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Summary
America Bewitched : The Story of Witchcraft after Salem
America Bewitched is the first major history of witchcraft in America - from the Salem witch trials of 1692 to the present day. The infamous Salem trials are etched into the consciousness of modern America, the human toll a reminder of the dangers of intolerance and persecution. The refrain 'Remember Salem!' was invoked frequently over the ensuing centuries. As time passed, the trials became a milepost measuring the distance America had progressed from its colonial past, its victims now the righteous and their persecutors the shamed. Yet the story of witchcraft did not end as the American Enlightenment dawned - a new, long, and chilling chapter was about to begin. Witchcraft after Salem was not just a story of fire-side tales, legends, and superstitions: it continued to be a matter of life and death, souring the American dream for many. We know of more people killed as witches between 1692 and the 1950s than were executed before it. Witches were part of the story of the decimation of the Native Americans, the experience of slavery and emancipation, and the immigrant experience; they were embedded in the religious and social history of the country. Yet the history of American witchcraft between the eighteenth and the twentieth century also tells a less traumatic story, one that shows how different cultures interacted and shaped each other's languages and beliefs. This is therefore much more than the tale of one persecuted community: it opens a fascinating window on the fears, prejudices, hopes, and dreams of the American people as their country rose from colony to superpower.