Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs, and Disease: An Anthropological Study of the European Witch-Hunts (American University Studies Series XI, Anthropology and Sociology)

By Homayun Sidky

Long before the political mass-murders witnessed in the present century, western Europe experienced another kind of holocaust--the witch-hunts of the early modern period. Condemned of flying through the air, changing into animals, and worshipping the Devil, over a hundred thousand people were brutally tortured, systematically maimed and burned alive. Why did these persecutions take place? Was it superstition, irrationality, or mass delusion that led to the witch-hunts? This study seeks explanation in the tangible actions of human actors and their worldly circumstances. The approach taken is anthropological; inferences are grounded on a wide spectrum of variables, ranging from the political and ideological practices used to mystify earthly affairs, to the logical structure of witch-beliefs, torture technology, and the role of psychotropic drugs and epidemic diseases.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1608996166
• ISBN13: 9781608996162
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.8"