Descrizione

8vo, br. ed. pp262. Macbeth: How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags What ist you doThree Witches: A deed without a name. Macbeth, Act 4, Scene IWhat lessons can we learn from witch beliefs and witch-hunts in traditional societies and in earlier timesThis fascinating cross-cultural survey of witchcraft aims to provide undergraduate students of anthropology and history with a comprehensive introduction to the figure of the witch. Case studies of witch-hunts in a broad range of societies -- from medieval Europe to America and tribal Africa -- demonstrate how those individuals who are perceived as a threat to the existing power structure are most vulnerable to being labelled a witch. The author argues that the process of labelling witches has not changed and is used in western societies even today for scapegoating minorities and other groups