DOCSLIB.ORG

Witchcraft-Related Violence: the Role of the Anti-Witchcraft Law

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Witchcraft-Related Violence: the Role of the Anti-Witchcraft Law Protecting Tanzanian Elderly Women Against Witchcraft-Related Violence: The Role of the Anti-Witchcraft Law A Research Paper presented by: Jamila Said Sulu (Tanzania) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for obtaining the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES Major: Human Rights, Gender and Conflict Studies: Social Justice Perspective (SJP) Members of the Examining Committee: Prof. dr. Karin Arts Dr. Jeff Handmaker The Hague, The Netherlands December 2018 ii Contents List of Tables v List of Figures Error! Bookmark not defined. List of Maps Error! Bookmark not defined. List of Appendices v List of Acronyms vi Acknowledgement vii Abstract viii Relevance to Development Studies viii Keywords ix Chapter 1: Witchcraft: Meaning, context and statement of the problem 1 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Defining witchcraft 2 1.1.1 Witchcraft versus traditional healing 3 1.2 Witchcraft violence in Shinyanga region 3 1.3 Contextual background 4 1.3.1 Witchcraft in Europe and its criminalisation 4 1.3.2 Witchcraft criminalisation in Africa 5 1.3.3 Criminalisation of witchcraft in Tanzania 6 1.3.4 Witchcraft violence as a human rights issue and as gender-based violence 7 1.4 Statement of the research problem 8 1.5 Research Objectives 10 1.5.1 Specific Objectives 10 1.6 Research Questions 10 1.6.1 Research sub-questions 10 1.7 Organisation of the paper 10 Chapter 2: Theoretical framework and methodology 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 The Feminist theory of intersectionality 11 2.2.1 Feminist scholarship on intersectionality 12 2.2.2 Criticism of intersectionality theory 13 2.2 A functionalist approach to law 13 2.2.1 Functionalism of the law 13 2.2.2 Criticism of functionalist approaches to law 15 2.3 Methodology 15 2.3.1 Data collection methods 15 2.3.2 Data analysis method 17 2.3.3 Sampling of research participants 17 iii 2.3.4 Ethical issues, positionality and reflexivity 19 2.3.5. Personal and field experience 20 2.3.5 Scope and Limitations of the Research 22 Chapter 3: Findings and analysis 23 3.1 Introduction 23 3.2 The prevalence of witchcraft belief, practice and violence in Tanzania 23 3.3 Victimisation of women as witches from the intersectionality perspective 28 6.0 Efforts made to address the problem of witchcraft violence in Tanzania 30 3.6.1 The National Ageing Policy 30 3.6.2 Establishment of the Anti-Homicide Squad within the Police 31 3.6.3 Adoption of the National Strategy to Eradicate Elderly Killings 31 3.4 The role of the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 in dealing with the problem of witchcraft 32 3.4.1 Achievement of the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 32 3.4.2 Weaknesses of the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 34 3.4.3 The difficulty of proving witchcraft 35 3.4.4 The perception of law enforcers on witchcraft and the general fear of witchcraft 36 3.4.5 Can the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 be a solution to the witchcraft problem in Tanzania? 36 Chapter 4: Conclusion 39 References 41 Appendices Error! Bookmark not defined. References Error! Bookmark not defined. Notes Error! Bookmark not defined. iv List of Tables Table 1:Profile of participants who took part in the research from 20/08/2018 to 05/09/2018. 18 Table 2:Junior police officers who participated in the Focus Group Discussion, and their ranks. 18 Table 3:Cases Recorded by the Central Police Station in Shinyanga region concerning witchcraft-related murders from 2010 to July 2018 24 Table 4:Murder cases handled by the National Prosecution Office, Shinyanga Zonal Office. 27 List of Appendices Appendix 1 Map of Tanzania indicating Shinyanga regionError! Bookmark not defined. v List of Acronyms CEDAW Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women CSO Civil Society Organisation FDG Focus Group Discussion GBV Gender Based Violence HRC Human Rights Council ISS International Institute of Social Studies LHRC Legal and Human Rights Centre LRCT Law Reform Commission of Tanzania MHCDGEC Ministry of Health, Community Development, Elderly and Children NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NPO National Prosecution Office NSEEK National Strategy to Eradicate Elderly Killings OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN) SDGs Sustainable Development Goals TAWLAE Tanzania Women in Leadership, Agriculture and the Environment TV Television UN United Nations US United States vi Acknowledgement First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my learned Supervisor, Prof. Karin Arts and my learned Second Reader, Dr. Jeff Handmaker for their intellectual support, professionalism, patience, understanding, resilience, encouragement and the very valuable insights they provided in every stage of the process of writing this thesis. Their comments and criticism heavily enriched the final product of this thesis. I recognise their support in all its forms. I highly appreciate the logistical support of Inspector Jacob from the Tanzania Police Force Headquarters, Mr. Ulindula from the Judiciary of Tanzania, and Ms. Ester Cheyo from the National Prosecution Office for facilitating my access to the field for data collec- tion. I also acknowledge the support of Mr. Joseph Mbasha from Help Age International Tanzania Office, and Madam Nko from TAWLAE in Shinyanga for facilitating my field work. I sincerely thank my parents, and my children Gody, Queen, Ottie and Faith for their unconditional love, support and understanding throughout the period of my studies in the Netherlands. I also salute the late Adam Biron Subi Onyango. May he rest in great heavenly peace. Finally, I would like to offer my special thanks to Mr Design Chimwaradze (Zimba- bwe), Ms. Melina Borrero Cruz (Ecuador), and my learned friend Ms Ubby Obot (Nigeria) for their inputs to enrich my thesis. May God bless you all! vii Abstract This research explored the role of the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 of laws of Tanzania in dealing with the problem of witchcraft. In particular, it interrogated how the law protects elderly women in Shinyanga region (Sukumaland) who are accused of witchcraft and exposed to serious violence including killing. Some of the issues considered in this research so as to facilitate the production of knowledge regarding the problem of witchcraft violence in Tanzania include the victimisation process of elderly women as witches, and the perfor- mance of the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 efforts in dealing with the problem of witchcraft vio- lence. This research took the socio-legal form, combining social and legal aspects in explor- ing the problem of witchcraft violence. Socially, the intersecting factors of gender, age, and socio-economic conditions of poverty contribute to making elderly women the victims of witchcraft accusation and kill- ing. A high belief in witchcraft within the Sukuma ethnic group and the proliferation of witchdoctors’ services to detect witches is at the centre of violence against elderly women. Witchdoctors in most cases detect women as witches in case of a severe illness or death in the family or neighbourhood. Further, it was revealed that elderly women in Sukumaland are targeted because witchcraft is inherited along the matrilineal line from mother to daughter whereas men only inherit traditional healing knowledge (as witchdoctors) from ancestors. This notion has perpetrated witchcraft-related violence and killing of elderly women, with the perpetrators (witchdoctors and hired killers) often enjoying impunity. From the legal point of view, gaps in the Witchcraft Act Cap 18 such as the lack of a clear definition of witchcraft and a difficulty in proving witchcraft in court, diminishes the role of this law in dealing with the problem of witchcraft. Opinion is divided among the law enforcers who participated in this research on the validity of witchcraft law given its limited functioning. I therefore argue that it is debatable whether Witchcraft Act Cap 18 is (still) useful in eliminating witchcraft-related violence. Relevance to Development Studies Witchcraft killings of elderly women are a gendered phenomenon and a form of Gender- Based Violence (GBV) which is reinforced by patriarchy system. Witchcraft violence and killings are also a grave violation of fundamental human rights which violate the right to life, and the freedom from torture, liberty and security of person, and is a form of discrimi- nation against women. Development studies seek to analyse and challenge such culture- based oppression, normativity, and violation of domestic and international human rights law. Furthermore, investigating witchcraft-related violence as GBV is relevant to the global development agenda namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 which seeks to eliminate all forms of violence against women. This research employed the feminist theory of intersectionality and a functionalist ap- proach to law as analytical frameworks to analyse the witchcraft phenomenon and gender- based violence against elderly women from the social and legal perspectives. These frame- works are useful since they will assist in producing empirical knowledge based on a socio- legal approach to analysing complex social problems such as witchcraft practice and vio- lence. viii Keywords Witchcraft, violence against women, elderly women, anti-witchcraft law, Tanzania. ix Chapter 1: Witchcraft: Meaning, context and statement of the problem 1.0 Introduction Witchcraft belief is widespread in different parts of the world and has defied modernity in many senses, ranging from advancement in science and technology, education, to economic development (Harnischfeger 2000:101; Harris 1974:213; Leistner 2014:68; Cimpric 2010:37). Tanzania is one of the few remaining countries in the world which have a specific law that criminalises and punishes witchcraft practice. Research done by the Law Reform Commission of Tanzania (LRCT) indicates that witchcraft is believed and practiced in the country not only by uneducated people but also by educated ones (LRCT 1994:27).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Criminalising Witchcraft
    A Creative Connect International Publication 19 CRIMINALISING WITCHCRAFT Written by Bhavya Sharma* & Utkarsh Jain** * 3rd year BA LLB, Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad ** 3rd year BA LLB, Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad INTRODUCTION Witchcraft as a term means the belief in, and practice of, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised by individuals and certain social groups. These are practiced by witches. Witch is an English word gender specific which is confined to women only. Witch is generally attributed to the individuals who through sheer malice, consciously or subconsciously, use magical power to inflict all type of evil on their fellow humans. They usually bring disease; destroy property and misfortune and causes death, without any provocation to satisfy their inherent craving. Some cultures in the Province of South Africa believe that all the misfortunes and deaths are either due to the punishments by ancestors or by the evil spirits or witches. It is found that majority of the people in the provinces believes in witchcraft and therefore the existence of witches. It is considered that some people are born as witches. In some culture in the African Provinces it is believed that a baby born should be thrown against a wall and if the baby clings to the wall, he or she would become a witch afterwards. Many animals are also considered to be associated with the practice of witchcraft such as owls, cats, snakes, bats, baboons, pole- carts. Some of the material articles related with witchcraft includes mirror, blades, brown bread, whirlwinds, traditional dishes, plates, saucers, traditional horns which are blown at nights, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive Look at the Salem Witch Mania of 1692 Ashley Layhew
    The Devil’s in the Details: A Comprehensive Look at the Salem Witch Mania of 1692 __________ Ashley Layhew Nine-year-old Betty Parris began to convulse, seize, and scream gibber- ish in the winter of 1692. The doctor pronounced her bewitched when he could find no medical reason for her actions. Five other girls began ex- hibiting the same symptoms: auditory and visual hallucinations, fevers, nausea, diarrhea, epileptic fits, screaming, complaints of being bitten, poked, pinched, and slapped, as well as coma-like states and catatonic states. Beseeching their Creator to ease the suffering of the “afflicted,” the Puritans of Salem Village held a day of fasting and prayer. A relative of Betty’s father, Samuel Parris, suggested a folk cure, in which the urine of the afflicted girls was taken and made into a cake. The villagers fed the cake to a dog, as dogs were believed to be the evil helpers of witches. This did not work, however, and the girls were pressed to name the peo- ple who were hurting them.1 The girls accused Tituba, a Caribbean slave who worked in the home of Parris, of being the culprit. They also accused two other women: Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne. The girls, all between the ages of nine and sixteen, began to accuse their neighbors of bewitching them, saying that three women came to them and used their “spectres” to hurt them. The girls would scream, cry, and mimic the behaviors of the accused when they had to face them in court. They named many more over the course of the next eight months; the “bewitched” youth accused a total of one hundred and forty four individuals of being witches, with thirty sev- en of those executed following a trial.
    [Show full text]
  • Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic Series Editors
    Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic Series Editors: Jonathan Barry, Willem de Blécourt and Owen Davies The history of European witchcraft and magic continues to fascinate and challenge students and scholars. There is certainly no shortage of books on the subject. Several general surveys of the witch trials and numerous regional and micro studies have been published for an English-speaking readership. While the quality of publications on witchcraft has been high, some regions and topics have received less attention over the years. The aim of this series is to help illuminate these lesser known or little studied aspects of the history of witchcraft and magic. It will also encourage the development of a broader corpus of work in other related areas of magic and the supernatural, such as angels, devils, spirits, ghosts, folk healing and divination. To help further our understanding and interest in this wider history of beliefs and practices, the series will include research that looks beyond the usual focus on Western Europe and that also explores their relevance and influence from the medieval to the modern period. Titles include: Jonathan Barry WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY IN SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND, 1640–1789 Jonathan Barry RAISING SPIRITS How a Conjuror’s Tale was Transmitted across the Enlightenment Edward Bever THE REALITIES OF WITCHCRAFT AND POPULAR MAGIC IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE Culture, Cognition and Everyday Life Ruth Bottigheimer MAGIC TALES AND FAIRY TALE MAGIC From Ancient Egypt to the Italian Renaissance Alison Butler VICTORIAN
    [Show full text]
  • Scepticism and Belief in English Witchcraft Drama, 1538–1681
    SCEPTICISM AND BELIEF IN ENGLISH WITCHCRAFT DRAMA, 1538–1681 Scepticism and belief in English witchcraft drama, 1538–1681 ERIC PUDNEY Lund University Press Copyright © Eric Pudney 2019 The right of Eric Pudney to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Lund University Press The Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology P.O. Box 117 SE-221 00 LUND Sweden http://lunduniversitypress.lu.se Lund University Press books are published in collaboration with Manchester University Press. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 9 1983 7686 9 hardback ISBN 978 9 1983 7687 6 open access First published 2019 This electronic version has been made freely available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, thanks to the support of Lund University, which permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction provided the author(s) and Lund University Press are fully cited and no modifications or adaptations are made. Details of the licence can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Lund University Press gratefully acknowledges publication assistance from the Thora Ohlsson Foundation (Thora Ohlssons
    [Show full text]
  • King James's Daemonologie: the Evolution of the Concept Of
    Università degli Studi di Padova Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Lingue Moderne per la Comunicazione e la Cooperazione Internazionale Classe LM-38 Tesi di Laurea King James’s Daemonologie: the evolution of the concept of witchcraft in Scotland Relatore Laureando Prof. Alessandra Petrina Stefano Melta n° matr.1038982 / LMLCC Anno Accademico 2018 / 2019 1 Table of Contents FOREWORD ...................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER I: The Scottish social and political situation in the second half of the sixteenth century............................................................................................................................... 13 I.I. A social geography of the Reformation in Scotland .......................................... 13 I.II. Witchcraft as an enemy of the State ................................................................... 17 I.III. The shaping of the new Kirk and the concept of authority ................................ 21 CHAPTER II: Biographical background .......................................................................... 25 II.I The political situation in the 70s and 80s ........................................................... 28 II.II Marriage and witches ......................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER III: The books behind Daemonologie ............................................................ 41 CHAPTER IV: Daemonologie
    [Show full text]
  • Criminals, Lunatics and Witches: Finding the Less Than Pleasant in Family History Craig L
    Criminals, Lunatics and Witches: Finding the Less Than Pleasant in Family History Craig L. Foster AG® Criminals The largest portion of the known criminal population were the common sneak thieves which included burglars, pickpockets and other types of thieves. Those involved in more violent crimes such as assault, battery, violent theft, highway robbery, manslaughter, murder, rape and other sexual offenses were fewer in number. Henry Mayhew, et al., The London Underworld in the Victorian Period (Minealoa, New York: Dover Publications, 2005), 109. In 1857, at least 8,600 prostitutes were known to London authorities. Incredibly, that was just a small portion of the estimated prostitutes in London. While London had the most prostitutes, there were ladies of ill-repute in every industrial centre and most market towns. Henry Mayhew, et al., The London Underworld in the Victorian Period (Minealoa, New York: Dover Publications, 2005), 6. Lists/records of “disorderly women” are found at: The National Archives at Kew Bristol Archives Dorset History Centre Gloucestershire Archives Plymouth & West Devon Records As well as many other repositories Children also served time in prison. For example, in Dublin, Ireland alone, between 1859 and 1891, 12,671 children between ages seven and sixteen were imprisoned. Prison registers are found at the National Archives of Ireland. Aoife O’Conner, “Child Prisoners,” Irish Lives Remembered 36 (Spring 2017), [n.p.] Online Sources for Searching for Criminals: Ancestry Birmingham, England, Calendars of Prisoners, 1854-1904 Cornwall, England, Bodmin Gaol, 1821-1899 Dorset, England, Calendar of Prisoners, 1854-1904 England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 London, England, King’s Bench and Fleet Prison Discharge Books and Prisoner Lists, 1734-1862 Surrey, England, Calendar of Prisoners, 1880-1891, 1906-1913 United Kingdom, Licenses of Parole for Female Convicts, 1853-1871, 1883-1887 FamilySearch Ireland Prison Registers, 1790-1924 findmypast Britain, Newgate Prison Calendar, vols.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kirk, Satan and Salem: a History of the Witches of Renfrewshire'
    H-Albion Goodare on McLachlan, 'The Kirk, Satan and Salem: A History of the Witches of Renfrewshire' Review published on Sunday, July 1, 2007 Hugh V. McLachlan, ed. The Kirk, Satan and Salem: A History of the Witches of Renfrewshire. Glasgow: Grimsay Press, 2006. 506 pp. $45.00 (paper), ISBN 978-1-84530-034-0; $70.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-84530-035-7. Reviewed by Julian Goodare (School of History and Classics, University of Edinburgh) Published on H-Albion (July, 2007) Witch Hunting and Demonic Possession in Scotland, 1697 This is a book about a famous case of witchcraft and demonic possession that occurred in Renfrewshire, in the west of Scotland, in 1697. A ten-year-old girl, Christian Shaw, daughter of the laird of Bargarran, suffered fits that were attributed to demonic possession, and accused several people of bewitching her. Seven people were executed at nearby Paisley, and an eighth committed suicide in prison. This was during the later and declining stages of the Scottish witch hunt; executions on this scale attracted attention at the time, and the Shaw case has often been discussed since. The book is a collection of documents rather than a monograph. It is multilayered; some of the documents are contemporary, others were first written at various other dates. About half of the book is a photographic reprint of a previous collection, published in 1877; that collection was an expanded version of a yet earlier collection, published in 1809. That collection included reprints of some contemporary documents that had previously been published in 1785.
    [Show full text]
  • Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England
    Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England by Christian D. Knudsen A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of the Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto Copyright © by Christian D. Knudsen ABSTRACT Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England Christian D. Knudsen Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto This dissertation examines monastic sexual misconduct in cloistered religious houses in the dioceses of Lincoln and Norwich between and . Traditionally, any study of English monasticism during the late Middle Ages entailed the chronicling of a slow decline and decay. Indeed, for nearly years, historiographical discourse surrounding the Dissolution of Monasteries (-) has emphasized its inevitability and presented late medieval monasticism as a lacklustre institution characterized by worsening standards, corruption and even sexual promiscuity. As a result, since the Dissolution, English monks and nuns have been constructed into naughty characters. My study, centred on the sources that led to this claim, episcopal visitation records, will demonstrate that it is an exaggeration due to the distortion in perspective allowed by the same sources, and a disregard for contextualisation and comparison between nuns and monks. In Chapter one, I discuss the development of the monastic ‘decline narrative’ in English historiography and how the theme of monastic lasciviousness came to be so strongly associated with it. Chapter two presents an overview of the historical background of late medieval English monasticism and my methodological approach to the sources. ii Abstract iii In Chapter three, I survey some of the broad characteristics of monastic sexual misconduct.
    [Show full text]
  • Paper 1 Crime and Punishment and Whitechapel Topic Page Number
    Paper 1 Crime and Punishment and Whitechapel Topic Page Number How to answer Paper 1 questions 2 Level descriptors 3 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT Middle Ages summaries 4-8 Middle Ages activities 9-13 Early Modern summaries 14-19 Early Modern Activities 20- 23 Industrial summaries 24-29 Industrial Activities 30-34 20th century summaries 35-39 20th century activities 40-44 WHITECHAPEL Living in Whitechapel summaries 45-46 Whitechapel Source investigation 47-51 Social Unrest summaries 52-53 Social unrest source investigation 54-56 Organisation of the police summaries 57-58 Organisation of the police source investigation 59-63 Investigative policing summaries 64-65 Investigative policing source investigation 66-69 Whitechapel activities 70-72 1 2 3 Laws and Crimes Saxon period, c.1000 – 1066. • Crimes against the person, e.g. assault / murder • Crimes against property, e.g. theft • Crimes against authority, e.g. treason • Moral crimes (links to Church / religion), e.g. drunkenness, adultery, etc. Normans, 1066 - c.1200, continuity and change. • William generally retained Edward the Confessor’s laws. Continuity: stressed continuity and that William was Edward’s true heir • Murdrum law - Saxon community collectively responsible for murder of a Norman: catch murderer or face fine. Change: Normans a tiny minority (7000 among 2m Saxons); deterrent through community pressure; placed responsibility for order on whole community. • Forest Laws – banned hunting / collection of firewood / grazing of animals in forests; heavy punishments included blinding and execution for repeat offence. Change: to protect William’s hunting which he loved. Seen as unfair ‘social crime’ • Wergild abolished; replaced by concept of the ‘King’s Peace’.
    [Show full text]
  • I James VI and Diabolical Witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland An
    James VI and Diabolical Witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland An Honors Thesis for the Department of History Adam C. Zacharia Tufts University, 2020 i Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………......……1 I. Witchcraft, Folklore, and the Devil in 16th-Century Scotland...................18 II. James VI and the North Berwick Witch Trials…………………………..40 III. Scotland’s “Great Witch Hunts”………………………….......................69 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….....92 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………102 ii Introduction In 1589, King James VI of Scotland set sail from Edinburgh to Denmark to escort his betrothed, the Princess Anne, back to Scotland after a series of storms prevented an earlier ship from bringing Anne across the North Sea. A troubling pattern seemed to emerge, however, when harsh storms again threatened the couple on their voyage back to Scotland, a fact that would hold grave consequences for the nation. Upon learning that Danish officials tried and executed a half dozen witches for bringing about the storms that had threatened James and Anne—storm-magic being a relatively common charge in Scandinavia—James VI found cause to launch his own witchcraft investigation.1 A series of witch trials began several months later in the town of North Berwick, Scotland based on unrelated charges of sorcery and healing, but the eventual confessions of two suspected witches to having been involved in a supernatural plot against the king convinced James that witches had indeed conspired to take his life. From that point on James took a direct role in the prosecution of the North Berwick witches, transporting several suspects to Edinburgh and personally overseeing their interrogations. The treatise that James later wrote on the subject, Daemonologie, provides significant insights into his participation at North Berwick and his interests in accentuating the Devil’s role in witchcraft.
    [Show full text]
  • The Scottish Witchcraft Act
    The Scottish Witchcraft Act JULIAN GOODARE Few acts of the Scottish parliament can have had such deadly consequences as the following, passed on June 4, 1563: Anentis Witchcraftis. ITEM Forsamekill as the Quenis Majestie and thre Estatis in this present Parliament being informit, that the havy and abominabill superstitioun usit be divers of the liegis of this Realme, be using of Witchcraftis, Sorsarie and Necromancie, and credence gevin thairto in tymes bygane aganis the Law of God: And for avoyding and away putting of all sic vane superstitioun in tymes tocum: ! It is statute and ordanit be the Quenis Majestie, and thre Estatis foirsaidis, that na maner of persoun nor persounis, of quhatsumever estate, degre or conditioun thay be of, tak upone hand in ony tymes heirefter, to use ony maner of Witchcraftis, Sorsarie or Necromancie, nor gif thame selfis furth to have ony sic craft or knawlege thairof, thairthrow abusand the pepill: Nor that na persoun seik ony help, response or cosultatioun at ony sic usaris or abusaris foirsaidis of Witchcraftis, Sorsareis or Necromancie, under the pane of deid, alsweill to be execute aganis the usar, abusar, as the seikar of the response or consultatioun. And this to be put to executioun be the Justice, Schireffis, Stewartis, Baillies, Lordis of Regaliteis and Rialteis, thair Deputis, and uthers Ordinar Jugeis competent within this Realme, with all rigour, having powar to execute the samin.1 1. Edward Henryson, ed., Actis and Constitutionis of the Realme of Scotland (Edinburgh: Robert Lekprevik, Nov. 1566), fo. clxxiiii(r.), ca. viii. Accurately transcribed, but with omission of title and punctuation, in Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, 12 vols., eds.
    [Show full text]
  • Blood Beliefs in Early Modern Europe
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Hertfordshire Research Archive Blood beliefs in early modern Europe Francesca Matteoni Submitted to the University of Hertfordshire for the degree of PhD. January, 2009 1 Contents Abstract 4 1. Blood themes: Introduction 5 1.1 Blood, feelings and the soul: perspectives 5 1.2 Late medieval and early modern Europe: blood and the sealed body 11 1.3 History and Anthropology: methodologies 15 1.4 Blood, power and violence. Anthropological views 19 1.5 Chapters’ outline 24 2. Drawing blood: The Devil’s pact and witchcraft 27 2.1 Witchcraft and blood 27 2.2 Intruders: from Jews to witches 28 2.3 The devil’s brood and the cannibalistic feast 33 2.4 The pact 43 2.5 Harmful magic: vampirism, lameness and pins 54 2.6 Domestic spaces 59 2.7 The decaying body 66 3. Supernatural beings: Fairies, vampires, werewolves 71 3.1 Blood and supernatural beings 71 3.2 Fairies and witches 72 3.3 Elf-shot and milk-stealing 75 3.4 Fairyland and the dead 84 3.5 The vampire 90 3.6 Human counter-measures 98 3.7 Shapeshifting and the werewolf 101 4. The integral body: Theories of blood 108 2 4.1 The liquid body and the spirited blood 108 4.2 Consumptive diseases 116 4.3 Bleeding and putrefaction 120 4.4 Breaking physical boundaries: blood and imagination 124 4.5 Passions of the mind. Frenzy, madness and melancholy 130 4.6 The intruder: epilepsy, envy and fascination 134 4.7 Menstruation 138 4.8 The diffusion of medical theories and folk-remedies 147 5.
    [Show full text]