Bijdrage tot theorievorming over de 16e- en 17e-eeuwse Europese heksenvervolgingen

Samenvatting

H. R. Trevor-Roper, Robert Mandrou, Alan Macfarlane, & Keith Thomas describe the European persecution of witches in the 16th & 17th centuries. Trevor-Roper is concerned with witchcraft in Europe, the incorporation of these beliefs by educated men into the unorganized peasantry, who consequently became the persecuting forces. Mandrou's primary concern is the change in mentality of the French judges regarding the witchcraft trials. Macfarlane & Thomas analyze the development of the witch performances in Essex & England. Problems encountered in the study of 16th & 17th century witch persecutions include: (1) the scarcity of material & the difficulty in finding & locating the available material; & (2) the formation of theories concerning the Scottish & Continental witch persecutions are in the formulative stages. The differences between mass & local witch persecutions are discussed, as well as the character of the accusation, the presence of the snowball effect when one witch accuses another, witch legislation & jurisdiction, & the number of accused & death penalties per period per area. The similarities & differences between other mass, as well as local, persecutions are explored--for example, the persecution of the Jews. Witch persecutions in general & mass witch persecutions in particular are still a mystery, which can be solved through combined & systematic research. N. Hirschohn.