Historians of the early modern witch-hunt often begin histories of their field with the theories propounded by Margaret Murray and Montague Summers in the 1920s. They overlook the lasting impact of nineteenth-century scholarship, in particular the contributions by two American historians, Andrew Dic...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Machielsen, Jan 1984- (Author)
Format:	Electronic eBook
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2021
Subjects:	White, Andrew Dickson / 1832-1918 Burr, George Lincoln / 1857-1938 Geschichte 1850-1940 Witchcraft / Historiography Hexenverfolgung Hexerei Geschichtsschreibung
Online Access:	BSB01 UBG01 Volltext
Summary:	Historians of the early modern witch-hunt often begin histories of their field with the theories propounded by Margaret Murray and Montague Summers in the 1920s. They overlook the lasting impact of nineteenth-century scholarship, in particular the contributions by two American historians, Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918) and George Lincoln Burr (1857-1938). Study of their work and scholarly personae contributes to our understanding of the deeply embedded popular understanding of the witch-hunt as representing an irrational past in opposition to an enlightened present. Yet the men's relationship with each other, and with witchcraft sceptics - the heroes of their studies - also demonstrates how their writings were part of a larger war against 'unreason'. This Element thus lays bare the ways scholarly masculinity helped shape witchcraft historiography, a field of study often seen as dominated by feminist scholarship. Such meditation on past practice may foster reflection on contemporary models of history writing
Item Description:	Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 30 Jun 2021)
Physical Description:	1 Online-Ressource (61 Seiten)
ISBN:	9781108953313
DOI:	10.1017/9781108953313