In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial

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This is also an aspect of homophobia, as queer or trans women do not fit into the patriarchial mold. For instance, for that for all the browbeating to become a mother for straight women, queer women are often denied access to adoption in many countries or by certain adoption agencies. I was thrilled to find Chollet quoted Jeanette Winterson, an absolute favorite, on how being queer and not tied down by children or traditional marriage was freedom that helped her career. In the book Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult, the authors point out that witchcraft is often used in media as a queer metaphor. The show Bewitched for example, about which actress Elizabeth Montgomery says she was proud of the queer undertones, admitting it was present and alway ' about repression in general.' Montgomery would go on to be a prominent voice advocating for the queer community. Rehabilitates the figure of the witch, this dangerously independent, educated and strong woman.” — Slate

In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet, Sophie R Lewis In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet, Sophie R Lewis

Edit : je rajoute ma grogne sur l'invisibilisation des sorcières queer que j'ai développé dans les commentairesAs a woman who chose not to have children, Chollet is particularly strong on the prejudice, and the fear, of a society that judges her deficient based on this decision. She quotes other well-known female writers on this topic, among them Elizabeth Gilbert, Rebecca Solnit, Gloria Steinem and Jeanne Safer, the latter eventually coming to the realisation that she "didn't want to have a baby: she 'want[ed] to want' to have a baby". What do Walt Disney, William Shakespeare and Roald Dahl have in common? Aside from the fact that they're men, or perhaps because of this, they have all created at least one enduring evil witch character. Boys are encouraged to map out their adult trajectory in the most adventurous manner possible. Conquering the world all alone is the most romantic path possible for a guy, and he can only pray that some lady doesn’t slow him down along the way, thereby ruining everything. But for women, the romance of forging out into the world is painted as pathetic and dreary if there’s no dude there. […] And Jesus, does it take hard work to reinvent the world outside those narrow conventions!22 For me, the history of witchcraft could equally be called the history of independence…the most troubled territories are always those that want to be independent.’

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts an…

We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. A further problem stems from Chollet's decision to structure her book around what she claims as three "archetypes" from the witch-hunts. There is one chapter on independent women, one on women who choose not to have children and one on women “who reject the idea that to age is a terrible thing”. Chollet's contention is that, several centuries on, these same types of women are having the same charges levelled against them. Elle est ensuite pigiste pour Charlie Hebdo. Mais son contrat est interrompu en 2000 après sa contestation d'un éditorial du directeur de la rédaction Philippe Val, qui qualifiait les Palestiniens de « non-civilisés ». Elle raconte : « Quelques jours après, il m’a convoquée, et il m’a annoncé qu’il arrêtait mon CDI après le mois d’essai, alors que j’étais pigiste depuis un an. Ça m’a sidérée »1.Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a celebration by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution. Et lire les destins tragiques et révoltants de ces milliers de femmes accusées de sorcellerie, eh bien figurez-vous que ça m'a donné encore plus de force. Je suis habitée d'une colère qui me donne envie de m'investir encore plus dans ma lutte féministe, qui me donne envie d'encore plus de sororité. Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant, well-documented” celebration ( Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution. Allows us to understand... the witch hunts of the past influenced the representation of women today.” — Le Monde (France)

In Defense of Witches - Google Books In Defense of Witches - Google Books

Pese a que empecé a leer este ensayo con unas expectativas bastante altas respecto a datos históricos sobre la brujería en la Edad Moderna, me encontré con una revisión acertada y bien argumentada (aunque muy personal) de algunos de los prejuicios asociados a las brujas que siguen teniendo validez y significación hoy en día. Chollet nos coge la mano y, con ella, paseamos a través del mito de la belleza asociado a la juventud femenina, al imperativo de la maternidad si eres mujer (y el precio que pagamos aquellas que decidimos no serlo), al peso de la soltería, a las relaciones de poder en parejas con diferencia de edad y a la violencia médica y psiquiátrica que las mujeres hemos sufrido a lo largo de los siglos, entre otras problemáticas que la autora abarca no sólo desde su perspectiva y experiencia personal, sino apoyándose en multitud de fuentes que, al menos a mi parecer, me hacen tener un orgasmo con tan sólo mirar la cuidadísima y extensísima bibliografía de este libro. Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed? A “brilliant, well-documented” celebration ( Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe.Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions. Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions. Chollet comes out of the gate swinging with her introduction that delves into historical witch-hunts. Offering informative statistics and a general overview on how they came about, fun details like Pope Gregory IX declaring cats the "devil's servants" and executing so many cats along with witches that the rat population grew and spread disease (subsequently blamed on witches), and examining issues such as criminalization of contraception and abortions occurring during the same period as witch-hunts. ‘ Witch-hunters are revealed as both obsessed with and terrified by female sexuality,’ she observes in her discussion of historical documents such as The Malleus Maleficarum. ‘ When for ‘witches’ we read ‘women,’ we gain fuller comprehension of the cruelties inflicted by the church upon this portion of humanity,’ said women’s activist Matilda Joslyn Gage, and while Chollet examines how men, too, were accused and murdered (though in far fewer numbers with significantly higher acquittals and tended to be accused to their intimacy with accused witches), she explains how Gage’s statement is in line with the book to come. Chollet’s introduction also serves as a criticism of the already well-trodden path of witch-hunt history books, pointing out how even those that attempt sensitivity tend to do a fair amount of victim blaming, often even asking why the groups accused of witchcraft ‘ attracted to itself the scapegoating mechanism,’ while also scapegoating any reason except for misogyny and control as to why these hunts occurred.

In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still On Trial In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still On Trial

Here are a few of the “villainous” things women are doing: “loving myself”, “existing unapologetically”, ”self-dates”, “drinking water and exercising”, and “treating others how they treat me”. Whilst it’s great to see women reclaim the villains of old, should we consider it radical for women to simply exist? Should we consider it radical for women to take care of their physical and mental health? Women have been so far removed from both rights and respect that to speak out and exist as individuals, they must first don the guise of a witch. This false renaissance of witches and villains may seem empowering, but it hides a deeper message - that women who put themselves first are villains in today's society, just as they were in the 1500s. The self-label of “villain” shows how deeply ingrained in society and women this notion truly is. It is not just having abortions which makes a woman a witch-like figure - simply existing can sometimes be enough to be labelled a villain. Some of the women labelled witches or villains The Witch is arguably the only female archtupe that has power on its own terms. She is not defined by anyone else.' l'indépendance des femmes, et comment notre refus de se sacrifier attire immédiatement des réprobationsWhat remains of the witch hunts? A stubborn misogyny, which still tints the way our societies look at single women, childless women, aging women, or quite simply, free women . . . Today more than ever, witches tell us about our world and lead the way.’– Télérama This book has single-handedly done more to quell my anxiety regarding the pressure of motherhood than therapy ever has, bless Mona Chollet. Not allowing the fun of the imagery to distort history or appropriate other cultural traditions is something to keep in mind, especially since Chollet points out the large number of women of color who were persecuted and how much American witch-hunts were used to target the indigenous. This comes later with the topic of medicine and wellness. ‘ The witch becomes the ‘antimother,’’ Chollet writes, ‘ many of the accused were healers who played the role of midwife—but who also used to help women wishing to prevent or terminate a pregnancy.’ This was during a time women were denied access to medical school and Cholett discusses that part of their eradication was to silence anyone that wasn’t part of the academic cannon. As witchcraft ideas have started to be absorbed or co-opted into wellness communities or other natural health circles, the infiltration of white supremacy in the wellness industry is something that should also be kept in mind too, as well as trying to remember snake oil salesman use the same bad faith marketing as any other big industry so it can sometimes be difficult to parse out what is an effective alternative remedy and what is not.