Vândut de elefant.ro
DescriptionAs the author notes, The early-modern European witch-hunts were neither orchestrated massacres nor spontaneous pogroms. Alleged witches were not rounded up at night and summarily killed extra-judicially or lynched as the victims of mob justice. They were executed after trial and conviction with full legal process. A mix of superstition, fear, belief and ready explanations for ailments, misfortune or disasters caused law, politics and religion to indulge in criminalisation and the appearance of justice. Bearing echoes of modern-day othering and marginalisation of outsiders he shows how witchcraft became akin to treason (with its special rules), how evidentially speaking storms, sickness or coincidence might be attributed to conjuring, magic, curses and spells. All this reinforced by examples and detailed references to the law and practice through which a desired outcome was achieved. In another resonance with modern times, the author shows how decisions were often diverted into the hands of witch-hunters, witch-finders (including self-appointed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins), witch-prickers and other experts as well as the quaintly titled cunning-folk consulted by prosecutors and victims. Crimen Exceptum (crimes apart). A straightforward and authoritative guide. Shows the rise and fall of prosecutions. Backed by a wealth of learning and research. Extract: A range of specialist tests developed to establish that a suspect truly was a witch. These included swimming, pricking ... identifying a witchs teat, requiring her to recite the Lords Prayer or other well-known passage of scripture ... and any positive results obtained from the various techniques, such as scratching a suspect or boiling a victims urine ... to break a spell or to identify who had cast it.AnnotationBearing echoes of modern-day othering and marginalization of outsiders, the author shows how witchcraft became akin to treason (with its special rules), and how evidentially speaking storms, sickness, or coincidence might be attributed to conjuring, magic, curses, and spells. All this reinforced by examples and detailed references to the law and practice through which a desired outcome was achieved.
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Vânzător: Elefant.ro
Brand: Waterside Press
