This course will explore supernatural folk beliefs and the European witch-hunts against a background of social change, religious and political revolution, and growing urbanization. Students will: study the ways in which ordinary people lived, and how they thought of their world; discover learned and popular mentalities and belief systems. The course will investigate the social, cultural and intellectual milieu of the Renaissance and Reformation period in order to address why Europe experienced major outbreaks of witch-hunting and widespread suppression of folk beliefs and popular culture.
Though the course will focus primarily on Britain and Europe, some North American and African parallels will be discussed. An interdisciplinary approach to the subject will be undertaken and encouraged, using historical methodologies, folkloristics, material culture, and fine art.