The Great European Witch-Hunt launched by 15th-century inquisitors in the Alpine region, spread all over Europe, from Portugal to Iceland. Over the next several centuries, moral panics, conspiracy theories and social scapegoating claimed thousands of lives. However, witch trials and witchcraft beliefs differed significantly in various countries because of their legal, religious and cultural features. The study of the witch-hunt highlights the specific and common traits of various societies. The Baltic sea region demonstrates the variety of witch-hunt models. In the seminar course, we will compare and discuss the witch-hunts in the countries around the Baltic sea to find out what makes people accuse their neighbours of imagined crimes and how it characterizes their societies.
The seminar occurs in online mode, the working language is English.
- Dozent/in: Vitali Byl