Fears about witchcraft and terrorism in coastal Kenya have shaped the ways in which various religious groups express themselves.
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Articles on Witchcraft
Displaying 1 - 20 of 44 articles
Witch-hunts have not been consigned to the history books. An alarming number of witchcraft-related deaths are still happening each year across nearly every continent.
Set in 1990s suburban Australia, The Exact Dimensions of Hell is a theatrical exploration that unflinchingly examines themes of teenage girls, desire and power.
Only five witches were executed in Wales, while thousands were sentenced to death in Scotland and England.
The iconic image of a witch on a broomstick has apocryphal origins. But whether they could actually fly didn’t stop Christian society from persecuting them.
In rural Ghana, only 18% of patients believe elephantiasis is a disease. Some others think it is caused by curses or even rain. Only by understanding local beliefs can it be treated effectively.
What do we mean when we talk about “witches”? And what imaginary world is conjured up by this historical figure turned mythical?
Witchcraft is an enduring source of fascination but also prone to popular misconceptions.
Victims of witchcraft accusations face alienation or exclusion from their communities.
In the last Census, 33,148 Australians identified with a nature religion, or Paganism. Who are the Pagans – and what do they do and believe?
A raft of horror films remind us of the grip troubled sleep once had on our imaginations.
Critics of superstition have often painted openness to magical interpretations as weakness or moral failing.
From ancient Greece to modern-day TikTok witchcraft, the world of witches has been a changing one.
A teenage domestic servant showed signs of possession, and a miller was accused of witchcraft. Considering records of these events helps clarify what we can and cannot know about the past.
The idea of a ‘witch’ was usually female in Western Europe, but not so in Orthodox Russia – partly because of the period’s rigid social hierarchies.
By casting spells and creating online persona to fool their victims, the Ivorian figure of the “brouteur” reveals the connections between the occult and virtual dimensions.
It’s facile to claim that only the state, or even only elites, were responsible for executing witches – there is a potential witch-hunter in all of us.
Beyond the fairy tales, mythical stories and stereotypes, there are many ways to be a witch.
From devil to potion to miracle drug, chocolate’s arrival in Europe was a wild ride.
Scent and magic have been entwined in our imaginations for centuries – right up to today’s witch-inspired perfumes.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History, History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University
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Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland
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Postdo, University of Exeter
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Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland
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Professor of History, Iowa State University
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Associate Professor of History, University of Saskatchewan
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Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician and Public Health Scientist, MidMichigan Health, University of Michigan
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Scientific Co-Director and Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Monash University
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Associate Professor, Human Rights, University of Winnipeg
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Lecturer in Medieval History, University of Exeter
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Lecturer in Criminology, Edith Cowan University
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Doctoral student in Anthropology, University of Amsterdam
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Professor of Anthropology, UCL
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Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University
