Overview

Macbeth: How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags? What is't you do?Three Witches: A deed without a name.Macbeth, Act 4, Scene IWhat lessons can we learn from witch beliefs and witch-hunts in traditional societies and in earlier times?This fascinating cross-cultural survey of witchcraft aims to provide undergraduate students of anthropology and history with a comprehensive introduction to the figure of the witch. Case studies of witch-hunts in a broad range of societies -- from medieval Europe to America and tribal Africa -- demonstrate how those individuals who are perceived as a threat to the existing power structure are most vulnerable to being labelled a witch. The author argues that the process of 'labelling' witches has not changed and is used in western societies even today for scapegoating minorities and other groups such as people with AIDS.