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The Witch, by Ronald Hutton

The Witch – An Upcoming Book from Historian of Paganism, Ronald Hutton

Professor Ronald Hutton is a widely acknowledged expert on the history of paganism and folk beliefs, authoring a number of influential books, including The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft and The Druids: A History, as well as featuring in a number of documentaries on those topics, such as the embedded video above, A Very British Witchcraft, on the history of Wicca and its founder, Gerald Gardner.

Those who have enjoyed Hutton’s previous work should therefore be very happy to learn that he has a new book scheduled for publication later this year (August 1 in the UK, September 5 in the US), titled The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present (Amazon US / Amazon UK):

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe’s history

The witch came to prominence — and often a painful death — in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In this landmark book, Ronald Hutton traces witchcraft from the ancient world to the early-modern stake.

This book sets the notorious European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft. Hutton, a renowned expert on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism and witchcraft beliefs, combines Anglo-American and continental scholarly approaches to examine attitudes on witchcraft and the treatment of suspected witches across the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and North and South America, and from ancient pagan times to current interpretations. His fresh anthropological and ethnographical approach focuses on cultural inheritance and change while considering shamanism, folk religion, the range of witch trials, and how the fear of witchcraft might be eradicated.

You can pre-order The Witch from Amazon US or from Amazon UK now.

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