Title: Witchcraze

Author: Anne Llewellyn Barstow

Publisher: Harper Collins 1994

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 255

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; Feminism; TBR Reduction

Over three centuries, approximately one hundred thousand persons, most of whom were women, were put to death under the guise of "witch hunts", particularly in Reformation Europe. The shocking annihilation of women from all walks of life is explored in this brilliant, authoritative feminist history Anne Llwellyn Barstow. Barstow exposes an unrecognized holocaust -- the "ethnic cleansing" of independent women in Reformation Europe -- and examines the residual attitudes that continue to influence our culture.

Barstow argues that it is only with eyes sensitive to gender issues that we can discern what really happened in the persecution and murder of these women. Her sweeping chronicle examines the scapegoating of women from the ills of society, investigates how their subjugation to sexual violence and death sent a message of control to all women, and compares this persecution of women with the enslavement and slaughter of African slaves and Native Americans.

Ultimately Barstow traces the current backlash against women to its gynophobic torture-filled origins. In the process, she leaves an indelible mark on our growing understanding of the legacy of violence against women around the world.

An interesting read but was definitely more of a historical paper than an accessible piece of nonfiction. I would not recommend to most of my friends; it's just too dry. But I found it a very good in-depth look into the European witch hunts, causes and effects. I liked how Barstow interspersed her analysis with accounts of real stories. By taking a holistic approach to "why," I found Barstow's conclusions to be satisfying. It wasn't just that they were women or old or poor, but a combination of societal, economic, and historical factors that played into the hysteria.