What is a Witch? Our Semitricentennial Episode cover art

What is a Witch? Our Semitricentennial Episode

What is a Witch? Our Semitricentennial Episode

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For our landmark 150th episode, we explore one of humanity's most enduring questions: What is a witch? Far from being about broomsticks and cauldrons, the witch serves as a cultural mirror, reflecting society's deepest anxieties about power, gender, and the unknown.

A witch is a designation that reveals more about the society doing the naming than about the accused. Throughout history, this label has been weaponized against the vulnerable, marginalized, and powerless as a means of social control.

Yet in contemporary Western contexts, "witch" has become a self-claimed identity representing alternative spirituality, feminist empowerment, and connection to nature. This reclamation represents a deliberate rejection of patriarchal control and embrace of personal agency.

We'll examine how the witch has served as both society's scapegoat and its rebel. What does it mean when an identity once used to destroy women becomes a source of empowerment? Join us as we explore this complex figure that continues to captivate and challenge us today.

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Read Report: Legislative Approaches to Harmful Practices Related to Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks, A Global Review

The International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks

Advocacy for Alleged Witches

Buy the book: The Ruin of All Witches

Listen to the episode: Malcolm Gaskill on the Ruin of All Witches

Listen to the episode: Francis Young on Witchcraft and The Modern Roman Catholic Church

Listen to the episode: Legal Perceptions of Witch Hunting in India with Riya A Singh and Amit Anand

Witchcraft Accusations in Listen to the episode: Nigeria with Dr. Leo Igwe

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