Lecture Notes on Witchcraft and Puritan Society

Introduction to Witchcraft

• Puritans had a different understanding of witches than modern stereotypes.
• Witches were seen as minions of Satan.
• Important agreement: For the lecture's purpose, witches do not exist.
• Focus: Accusations of witchcraft were not based on real witchcraft.

Puritan Views on Witchcraft

• Accusations of witchcraft were often based on challenges to male authority.
• Puritans feared unsupervised women (e.g., dancing naked was seen as freeform sexuality challenging male control).
• Accusations targeted young women (14-24) who claimed possession by witches to excuse "bad behavior."
• Adult men were also accused, with notions of possession and forced sex (non-consensual sex = rape).

Patterns of Witchcraft Accusations

• Most witches accused were women.
• Charts by Carol Carlson provide historical data:
  • Carol Carlson's book: "Devil in the Shape of a Woman."
  • Examined witchcraft accusations with a gender perspective.
  • Majority of accused, tried, convicted, and executed witches were women.
  • Some men were also accused but perceived as leaders in witchcraft.

Gender Dynamics in Witchcraft Accusations

• Women with no male heirs (sons or brothers) were more likely to be executed.
• Accusations often targeted women who stood to inherit property.
• Men with no heirs were executed, while women with no heirs were more likely to be spared if they confessed.
• Puritan society valued patriarchal norms; male witches were seen as "leaders" among witches and more dangerous.

Accusers in Witchcraft Trials

• Young women most likely to accuse others of possession.
• Married men made non-possession accusations (e.g., property damage).
• Cooperation between groups with different power levels to oppress accused witches.

Analysis of Historical Context

• Analysis by Carol Carlson: Property and inheritance influenced witchcraft accusations.
• Men writing wills showed a decline in leaving property ownership to wives.
• Women were losing power over time in Puritan society.

Class Status Anxiety and Stockholm Syndrome

• Class status anxiety: Fear of moving down the class ladder.
• Projecting this anxiety onto lower classes fuels oppression.
• Stockholm syndrome: Aligning with powerful groups to escape powerlessness.

Implications and Conclusions

• Witchcraft trials were patriarchal control mechanisms against women with potential power.
• Examination of why women collaborated with men in oppression:
  • Class status anxiety and Stockholm syndrome explain cooperation with oppressors.
  • Men are not the sole oppressors; women also contribute to oppression against women.

Final Thoughts

• Women remaining a second-class group due to complex societal factors, not just male oppression.
• Importance of understanding history with a nuanced perspective.
• Encouragement to think critically about societal structures and power dynamics.