Published in 2020
6 hours and 58 minutes
Kristen J. Sollee is a writer, curator, and educator exploring the intersections of art, sex, and culture. She has written for mainstream and academic publications including VICE, NYLON, Time Out New York, and BUST. She lectures at colleges and conferences across the United States and Europe. She is also the founding editrix of Slutist, a sex-positive feminist website, and a lecturer at the New School.
What is this book about?
Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Sollee – a second-generation witch herself – explores the witch as a figure of female power and persecution. By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and imaginative historical fiction, Witch Hunt captures the magic of travel to make an often-overlooked period of history come alive.
Between the 15th-17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors inspired witch hysteria to ignite like wildfire across Europe, and, later, parts of America. At the heart of the witch hunts were often dangerous misconceptions about femininity and female sexuality, and women were disproportionately punished as a result. Today, this lineage of oppression remains an important reference point through which we can contemplate women’s rights – and human rights – in the Western world and beyond.
Witch Hunt isn’t only an exploration of the horrors of history, but also uncovers how the archetype of the witch has been rehabilitated. For witches are not just haunting figures of the past; the witch is also a liberatory icon and identity of the present.
