German Studies 221CW - German Culture and Histories: 'Crafting Witches: Tracing the Historical Persecution of Racialized and Gendered Bodies Through Accusations of Witchcraft'

This course focuses on the persecution of people accused of witchcraft, beginning with European pagan religions and the spread of Christianity; the "Burning Times" in early modern Europe, and 17th-century New England. We examine the connections between the persecution of those accused of witchcraft and the oppression of colonized subjects through global perspectives, looking at aspects of persecution that illuminate broad ideas about race and gender that arose concurrently with colonization and capitalism. Course materials include readings and film examining witch persecutions from contemporary feminist and postcolonial perspectives.

Prereq: GRMST-201.