Salem Possessed The Social Origins of Witchcraft
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What does one associate with the word "witchcraft?" Broomsticks, spells, and black cats? In actuality, real world witchcraft in the 17th century was quite different. It seemingly began with visions and specters seen only by certain girls; these unexplainable anomalies took towns, Salem specifically, by storm and many a time led to the hangings of accused "witches" or "wizards." Yet through further investigation, seemingly unexplainable happenings take on a worldly aspect through patterns of social and personal disputes and conflicts which Salem Possessed analyzes quite thoroughly.
Salem Possessed: the Social Origins of Witchcraft, written by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, does not describe the Salem Trials themselves, but rather the events and causations that climaxed at the trials. Though not focusing on the trials themselves, the time period does not deviate quite far from the 1692 trials. The conflict that arose spurred from various sources including geography, taxes, petitions, and village autonomy. One major factor was that of Salem Town, a relatively important urban center, and Salem Village, an adjacent break off from the town and mainly of agrarian characteristics. It was within Salem Village that the witchcraft accusations would occur...