The Witch Panic of the 16th and 17th Centuries

This class will take place October 5, 12, 19, and 26, 3:00-5:00p.m., at the Frank B. Koller Memorial Library in Manitowish Waters, with Mary Magray.

This course will examine in close detail the witchcraft panic that spread like wildfire throughout Europe and the American colonies during the 16th and 17th centuries as well as to explore why the phenomenon remains such an endlessly fascinating historical event. If history can teach us anything, it is perhaps something important about human societies—most especially, what they’re capable of doing given a context of profound cultural change and societal upheaval.

This four-part course explores the widespread outbreak of torture, trials, and executions for witchcraft during the 16th and 17th centuries that resulted in the deaths of as many as 80,000 women, men, and children in Europe and the New World. The panic that ensued drew on a long history of witchcraft belief, belief that turned to widespread—and deadly—fear in the context of the profound religious and cultural upheaval of the period.

While the witchcraft panic tells us much about Western social, political, and religious culture of the early modern period, it also provides a useful lens through which to view contemporary “witch hunts” and to reflect on more general questions about human society—about the nature of belief, about fear and responses to fear, and about cultural norms that allow the persecution of particular individuals.

Class 1: The Invention of “Witchcraft”: Science, Religion, and Magic in the Medieval World

Class 2: The Invention of “Witchcraft”: The Role of the Devil and the Spread of Terror in the Early Modern World

Class 3: The Witch Panic: The Campaign to Exterminate Witches in Europe and the New World

Class 4: The Witch Panic: Consequences, Explanations, and Lessons Learned?

Requirements: The only requirement for this course is an interest in the topic. The instructor will provide short articles and/or excerpts to read between class meetings to aid in discussion as well as deepen students’ understanding of the early modern witchcraft hysteria as well as the contemporary concept of “witch hunts.”

Instructor: Mary Magray, PhD

Offline Registration: Download PDF Registration Form, complete and mail in with payment.

Registration Questions? Contact us or call (715) 892-3982 or (715) 476-2881.

Registration Issues/Troubleshooting: If you are registering with one email address for two or more people, please register each person individually (i.e. do not register all at once, but add students one at a time to checkout). If you continue to have difficulty or have another question, please contact us.