Magic and Witchcraft: Beliefs and Trials in Historical Perspective

About

Beliefs in witchcraft, the power of humans to intervene in the flow of life events and to harm others by supernatural means, is widely distributed both geographically and chronologically. How in European history the accusations were developed and put together with the elaboration of a sufficiently coherent framework of reference is an important focus of historical attention. This is indeed part of a wider process of formation of “othering” and scapegoat images through time and on social targets. All this, along with the late medieval construction of the concept of the diabolic witches’ Sabbath, constitute a historical issue, the discussion and the understanding of which demand the involvement of a multidisciplinary way of approaching historical inquiry as well as an open-minded sight.

This course, running for the fifth time and accommodated by CEU’s Summer University, aims to examine the rise and downturn of witch-beliefs in medieval and early modern Europe, while tracing the multifaceted roots leading to their construction, from the Classical Greek and Roman literary traditions to medieval lore and popular beliefs, up to the outburst of the “witch-craze” in early modern Europe. We will focus on the shaping of beliefs and their background in various magical theories and practices that were dominating the Middle Ages and the early modern period while directly or indirectly contributing to the witchcraft prosecutions. Special attention will be paid to the developments in East-Central Europe, the history of which is less known in international scholarship. The course should show the intricate dynamism of centers and peripheries, which is far from being as stable as earlier historiography often supposed. 

Financial aid is available, in limited numbers.

Course leader

Fabrizio Conti (Department of History and Humanities, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy)  & György E. Szönyi (Department of English, University of Szeged, Hungary)

Target group

The course in Magic and Witchcraft: Belief and Trials in Historical Perspectives is open to any graduate/post-graduate student/scholar aiming at fostering their knowledge of the themes discussed during the course and to acquire new perspectives concerning the topics at the core of the course. The course will also be happy to accommodate a few interested advanced undergraduates, but some kind of training in historical research or cultural anthropology is desired.

Fee info