Witches of the Atlantic World : An Historical Reader & Primary Sourcebook

Breslaw, Elaine G. (EDT)

ISBN 10: 0814798519 / ISBN 13: 9780814798515

Published by NYU Press, 2000

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Witches of the Atlantic World : An Historical Reader & Primary Sourcebook
• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814798519
• ISBN 13: 9780814798515
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

An anthology of primary documents and scholarly interpretations of witchcraft from the 15th to 18th century

This unique anthology is the first to provide a multicultural perspective on witchcraft from the 15th to 18th century. Featuring primary documents as well as scholarly interpretations, Witches of the Atlantic World builds upon information regarding both Christian and non-Christian beliefs about possession and the demonic. Elaine G. Breslaw draws on Native American, African, South American, and African-American sources, as well as the European and New England heritage, to illuminate the ways in which witchcraft in early America was an attempt to understand and control evil and misfortune in the New World.

Organized into sections on folklore and magic, diabolical possession, Christian perspectives, and the question of gender, the volume includes selections by Cotton Mather, Matthew Hopkins, and Samuel Willard, among others; Salem trial testimonies; and commentary by a host of distinguished scholars.

Together the materials demonstrate how the Protestant and Catholic traditions shaped American concepts, and how multicultural aspects played a key role in the Salem experience. Witches of the Atlantic World sheds new light on one of the most perplexing aspects of American history and provides important background for the continued scholarly and popular interest in witches and witchcraft today.

About the Author

Elaine G. Breslaw retired as Professor of History from Morgan State University in Baltimore after 29 years and has taught on an adjunct basis at Johns Hopkins University, Goucher College, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the author of Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies (NYU Press, 1995), Witches of the Atlantic World: An Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook (NYU Press, 2000), and Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America: Expanding the Orbit of Scottish Culture.