Emotions in the History of Witchcraft

The term "emotion" originates from the Old French "esmovoir" meaning "to move," derived from the Latin "emovere," a compound of "ex-" (out) and "movere" (to move). Its scholarly application to historical witchcraft emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, particularly with interdisciplinary approaches in history and cultural studies.

Emotions in the History of Witchcraft is a 2017 book edited by historians Laura Kounine and Michael Ostling, published by Palgrave Macmillan. The book received scholarly reviews in Preternature, Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, Renaissance Quarterly, and Comparative Studies in Society and History.

The historical discourse surrounding witchcraft, often steeped in fear and condemnation, frequently foregrounded the affective lives of accused individuals and their accusers. Scholars like Laura Kounine and Michael Ostling, in their edited volume, have begun to dissect this complex interplay, moving beyond simplistic notions of demonic possession or rational delusion. They invite us to consider the visceral human elements that fueled accusations and defenses, the terror that might have gripped an accused woman, the righteous indignation of a village priest, or the collective hysteria that swept through communities. This scholarly endeavor echoes, in a modern idiom, the ancient Hermetic preoccupation with the inner life, the passions that can either lead to spiritual ascent or descent. Mircea Eliade, in his studies of shamanism, highlighted the crucial role of altered emotional states and ecstatic experiences in spiritual traditions, a concept that, when re-contextualized, can illuminate the psychological dimensions of historical witchcraft accusations. Similarly, Carl Jung’s exploration of archetypal emotions and the shadow self offers a lens through which to understand the projection of societal fears onto marginalized figures. By examining emotions, we are not merely cataloging feelings, but attempting to grasp the potent, often unarticulated, forces that shaped belief, fueled persecution, and ultimately, contributed to the historical construction of the witch. It is an excavation of the human heart within the crucible of historical judgment.