Witch Hunt: A Traveler's Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch - Hardcover

by Kristen J. Sollee (Author)

"A transcendent travelogue that guides readers through the history, places, and people of several of the many witch hunts and how their legacy continues to impact us today."
--Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power

Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Sollée explores the places and people significant to the early modern legacy of the witch.

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors ignited a wildfire of witch hysteria in Europe and, later, in parts of America. At the heart of these 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 a vital reference point in the fight for women's rights--and human rights--in the Western world and beyond.

By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and moments of imaginative historical fiction, Sollée (author of Witches, Sluts, Feminists) makes an often-overlooked period of history come alive. Written for armchair travelers and on-the-ground explorers alike, Witch Hunt not only uncovers the horrors of history but 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.

This paperback edition includes a new afterword by the author and an updated travel resources section.

Author Biography

Kristen J. Sollée is the author of three books on the legacy of the witch. A writer, curator, and educator exploring the intersections of art, sex, and culture, Kristen has lectured at George Washington University, the University of Southern California, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and across the US and Europe. Her 2017 book Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive was described by the Guardian as "a whirlwind history of the witch in America" and a "Must-Read" by BUST. She is also the author of Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine, published in 2019. Kristen's work has been featured in NYLON, Hazlitt, the Times Literary Supplement, and on Viceland, Huffington Post Live, and NPR. She currently teaches at The New School in New York City.