Witches and Neighbours

Description

In his remarkable and compelling interpretation of the course and causes of the fear and persecution of witches that bedeviled Europe for centuries, Briggs draws on the latest research into the local realities underlying the phenomenon. In particular, he employs his own extensive work in the rich archives hidden away in those Franco-German borderlands in which so many cases became known. Briggs reveals how ordinary people diverted ordinary and not-so-ordinary grievances into a complex structure of blaming and scapegoating. Villagers inhabited a harsh and dangerous world, where real and fantastic fears mingled. Through his study of real cases and real lives, individual hysteria and disillusionment, institutional skepticism and opposition, Briggs skillfully and stylishly traces the ways in which beliefs about witchcraft responded to changes in European society. Witches and Neighbors is an illuminating social and cultural history of a period all too often darkened by myth and misinformation.

First Sentence

In July 1596 the prevot (the local administrator and law enforcement officer) of the small Lorraine town of Charmes reported the arrest of Barbe, wife of Jean Mallebarbe.

Excerpt

In July 1596 the prevot (the local administrator and law enforcement officer) of the small Lorraine town of Charmes reported the arrest of Barbe, wife of Jean Mallebarbe.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Witches and Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European WitchcraftHardcoverBlackwell Publishing Limited2002-04-01
• Witches & neighboursHarperCollinsPublishers1996-01-01
• Witches & neighboursHarperCollinsPublishers1996-03-20
• Witches & neighboursFontana Press1997-01-01
• Witches & neighboursPenguin Books1998-01-01
• Witches and neighboursBlackwell Publishers2002-01-01