| Diagrams and illustrations |
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xiii | |
| Preface |
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xv | |
| Acknowledgements |
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xix | |
| Conventions and abbreviations |
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xxi | |
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Introduction: The witch-hunt and you |
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1 | (1) |
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Why the witch-hunt matters |
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1 | (1) |
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Understanding believers in witchcraft |
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1 | (2) |
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3 | (3) |
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How do we know about witch-hunting? |
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6 | (3) |
| 1 Witchcraft! |
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9 | (22) |
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9 | (1) |
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The fourfold concept of witchcraft |
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9 | (5) |
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14 | (5) |
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A world of religion and magic |
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19 | (3) |
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Witchcraft and 'superstitious magic' |
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22 | (2) |
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Elite and popular beliefs |
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24 | (2) |
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Understanding 'witch-hunting' |
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26 | (1) |
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The scale of the European witch-hunt |
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27 | (3) |
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Conclusion: Causes of witch-hunting |
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30 | (1) |
| 2 Towards witch-hunting |
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31 | (24) |
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31 | (1) |
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The growth of the idea of persecution |
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32 | (3) |
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Prosecutions before the witch-hunt |
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35 | (1) |
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Political magic in the fourteenth century |
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36 | (3) |
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Towards a new crime of 'witchcraft', c.1400-1435 |
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39 | (3) |
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The 'new sect' of witches, c.1435-1485 |
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42 | (6) |
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The Malleus Maleficarum (1486) and village witchcraft |
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48 | (2) |
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Conclusion: Witchcraft beliefs come together, 1486-1500 |
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50 | (5) |
| 3 Witchcraft and the intellectuals |
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55 | (33) |
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55 | (1) |
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The cosmos and the cosmic story |
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55 | (3) |
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Sources of elite witch-beliefs |
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58 | (2) |
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Natural, supernatural and preternatural |
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60 | (3) |
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Natural and demonic magic |
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63 | (1) |
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Distorted echoes of popular belief |
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64 | (1) |
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Witchcraft as a 'cumulative concept' |
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65 | (2) |
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Medieval foundations: The Devil |
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67 | (4) |
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Early developments: The debate on witches' flight, 1440-1580 |
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71 | (2) |
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Later developments: The revival of the sabbat, 1580-1612 |
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73 | (3) |
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The elaborated concept of witchcraft |
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76 | (3) |
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79 | (4) |
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83 | (2) |
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Conclusion: From demonology to witch-hunting |
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85 | (3) |
| 4 Witches in the community |
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88 | (33) |
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88 | (1) |
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88 | (3) |
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91 | (1) |
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Forming a witchcraft reputation: A five-stage model |
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92 | (2) |
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94 | (2) |
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Linking a misfortune to witchcraft |
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96 | (3) |
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99 | (4) |
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103 | (1) |
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104 | (2) |
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The search for reconciliation |
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106 | (4) |
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110 | (3) |
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Denouncing a witch to the authorities |
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113 | (4) |
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Conclusion: Neighbourhood quarrels in context |
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117 | (4) |
| 5 Witchcraft and folk belief |
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121 | (34) |
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121 | (1) |
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121 | (5) |
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126 | (2) |
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How folktales structured witchcraft stories |
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128 | (2) |
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Non-human inhabitants of the popular universe |
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130 | (3) |
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Witches in legends and folktales |
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133 | (3) |
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Flying and shape-shifting |
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136 | (4) |
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Shamanistic visionaries and cults |
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140 | (5) |
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145 | (1) |
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Psychological conditions and the 'nightmare experience' |
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145 | (5) |
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Conclusion: Popular beliefs about 'witchcraft' |
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150 | (5) |
| 6 Witches and the godly state |
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155 | (34) |
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155 | (1) |
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The rise of the early modern state |
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156 | (1) |
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The Reformation and Counter-Reformation |
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157 | (2) |
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The divine ruler and the Devil |
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159 | (3) |
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Demonology and the Reformation: Consensus and controversy |
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162 | (1) |
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The godly state and godly discipline |
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163 | (2) |
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The withdrawal of magical services |
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165 | (1) |
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The 'huge mass' of ungodliness revealed |
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166 | (1) |
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The programme of godly discipline unfolds |
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167 | (3) |
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Witch-hunting and other persecutions |
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170 | (1) |
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171 | (2) |
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Witch-hunting, colonies and ethnicity |
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173 | (3) |
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Types of state and intensity of witch-hunting |
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176 | (6) |
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Critics and limitations of the godly state |
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182 | (1) |
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Conclusion: Witch-hunting and state formation |
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183 | (6) |
| 7 Witches in court |
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189 | (36) |
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189 | (1) |
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190 | (1) |
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Courts that tried witches |
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191 | (1) |
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State formation and legal developments |
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192 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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Deciding on guilt or innocence |
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194 | (2) |
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196 | (1) |
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197 | (5) |
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202 | (6) |
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Constructing and negotiating confessions |
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208 | (1) |
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209 | (4) |
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Credibility of confessions |
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213 | (3) |
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216 | (1) |
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217 | (3) |
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Conclusion: A miscarriage of justice? |
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220 | (5) |
| 8 The dynamics of witch-hunting |
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225 | (42) |
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225 | (1) |
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A political model of witchcraft prosecutions |
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226 | (3) |
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229 | (4) |
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233 | (2) |
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What did people do when they panicked? |
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235 | (1) |
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Chain-reaction witch-hunts |
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236 | (2) |
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238 | (2) |
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240 | (1) |
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Economic stresses and witch-hunting |
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241 | (3) |
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244 | (2) |
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246 | (3) |
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Witch-hunting from above or below? |
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249 | (4) |
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Witch-hunting and negotiations of power |
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253 | (6) |
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259 | (1) |
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The witch-hunting experience |
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260 | (2) |
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Conclusion: Social attitudes towards witch-hunting |
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262 | (5) |
| 9 Women, men and witchcraft |
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267 | (50) |
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267 | (1) |
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A female majority and a male minority |
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267 | (2) |
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269 | (1) |
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Misogyny and stereotyping |
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270 | (3) |
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Stereotypes of female witches |
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273 | (4) |
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Stereotypes of male witches |
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277 | (4) |
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Scapegoating and deviance |
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281 | (2) |
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The godly state and gendered offences |
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283 | (2) |
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Women, men and magical practice |
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285 | (3) |
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Gendered patterns of accusation |
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288 | (3) |
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291 | (1) |
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Children: Victims and victim-witches |
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292 | (3) |
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Gendered images of witchcraft |
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295 | (3) |
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298 | (6) |
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304 | (2) |
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306 | (1) |
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Witchcraft and gender-related trauma |
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307 | (2) |
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Conclusion: Connecting witches and women |
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309 | (8) |
| 10 The end of witch-hunting |
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317 | (43) |
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317 | (1) |
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318 | (4) |
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322 | (6) |
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The decline of torture and the death penalty |
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328 | (1) |
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The decline of the godly state |
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329 | (6) |
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The Scientific Revolution |
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335 | (4) |
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Demonology in a sceptical age |
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339 | (4) |
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Open attacks on demonology |
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343 | (2) |
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345 | (2) |
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Shifting views of witches' malefice |
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347 | (2) |
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Continuing prosecutions for superstitious magic |
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349 | (1) |
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Village witchcraft after witch-hunting |
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350 | (2) |
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Conclusion: How witch-hunting became unnecessary |
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352 | (8) |
| 11 Perspectives on the witch-hunt |
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360 | (37) |
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360 | (1) |
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The witch-hunt as 'European' |
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361 | (2) |
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Perspectives from the liberal tradition |
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363 | (3) |
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Perspectives from the romantic tradition |
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366 | (4) |
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Perspectives from anthropology |
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370 | (2) |
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Perspectives from psychology |
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372 | (3) |
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375 | (7) |
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Modern Western images of witches |
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382 | (5) |
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Conclusion: Power, persecution and the lessons of the witch-hunt |
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387 | (10) |
| Further reading |
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397 | (13) |
| Appendix: Intensity of witch-hunting in Europe |
|
410 | (4) |
| Index |
|
414 | |