Two Styles In The Study Of Witchcraft - School ... -

Earlier historians viewed witchcraft trials as a product of "religious fanaticism," while later 20th-century historians (like Keith Thomas and Alan Macfarlane ) began adopting anthropological tools to show that trials were actually driven by "bottom-up" interpersonal tensions in local villages.

This school, pioneered by in his 1937 study of the Azande people, views witchcraft as a logical and "intellectually consistent" system rather than a primitive superstition. Two styles in the study of witchcraft - School ...

Since the 1970s, the line between these schools has blurred. Many modern historians now use to understand the psychology of past accusers, while anthropologists use historical context to explain why witchcraft beliefs persist in the modern, globalized world. Earlier historians viewed witchcraft trials as a product