Languages of witchcraft : narrative, ideology and meaning in early modern culture

Different conceptions of the world and of reality have made witchcraft possible in some societies and impossible in others.

How did the people of Early Modern Europe experience it and what was its place in their culture?

The essays in this collection illustrate trends in witchcraft research and in cultural history in general.

After decades in which the social analysis of witchcraft accusations has dominated the subject, this study looks at its significance and meaning as a cultural phenomenon - to the "languages" of witchcraft, rather than its causes.