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Polity Press Hardback English
Witch Power
Hexing the Patriarchy with Feminist Magic
By Emma Quilty
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When most people hear the word 'witch', they immediately think of crones conspiring over a cauldron, a force of dark and vindictive power. But to hundreds of thousands across the world, being a witch is a living, everyday reality, much more varied than the fairytale image. Witch Power follows Emma Quilty – herself a witch and an anthropologist – on an immersive journey into contemporary witchcraft, from Witchcamp retreats to 'red tent' menstrual events, Voodoo priestesses running ghost tours from their vans to TikTokers casting hexes on a viral scale. Attentive to the history of witchcraft, she reveals the role power plays in how the figure of the witch has changed over time to suit the ever-present need to control and demonize women. Because to be a witch is to live in defiance of society's expectations and rules. But while the witch is always castigated as a threat, Quilty finds that the witch is never alone: the witch is a survivor and a symbol of resistance. Ultimately, Witch Power is a provocation and an invitation to readers to experience with the author what it means to embrace witchiness and what witchy feminism could bring to your life.
When most people hear the word 'witch', they immediately think of crones conspiring over a cauldron, a force of dark and vindictive power. But to hundreds of thousands across the world, being a witch is a living, everyday reality, much more varied than the fairytale image. Witch Power follows Emma Quilty – herself a witch and an anthropologist – on an immersive journey into contemporary witchcraft, from Witchcamp retreats to 'red tent' menstrual events, Voodoo priestesses running ghost tours from their vans to TikTokers casting hexes on a viral scale. Attentive to the history of witchcraft, she reveals the role power plays in how the figure of the witch has changed over time to suit the ever-present need to control and demonize women. Because to be a witch is to live in defiance of society's expectations and rules. But while the witch is always castigated as a threat, Quilty finds that the witch is never alone: the witch is a survivor and a symbol of resistance. Ultimately, Witch Power is a provocation and an invitation to readers to experience with the author what it means to embrace witchiness and what witchy feminism could bring to your life.