The persecution of witches has never been about magic, it’s always been about punishing women who do not conform to patriarchal standards. It’s as true today as it was in 1692.
Halloween conjures up images of pop culture witches—Agatha, Circe, Elphaba, Glinda, Wednesday, Morticia. Being a witch has never been more in vogue. You can buy witchy clothes on the internet and learn spells on social media. But being labeled a witch is not about broomsticks, cauldrons or magic spells, and it never was.
As we approach one of the closest, and most contentious, presidential elections in our history, and the MAGA right wing continues to label women as witches, it’s important to understand how we got here—and why it matters.
The root of the Anglo-Saxon word witch is wit, and describes “someone who knows.” It shares the same root as “witness”—someone who knows because they were present. But since the Middle Ages, a witch is someone, almost always a woman, who would not submit to authority. The offense of the witch is in her very title. She knows things and will not submit to someone who claims to know better or more.
Historically communities didn’t burn witches—they burned women.
In the Middle Ages, there was a conflation of seismic societal shifts—economic upheaval, reversals in territorial powers, changes in technology, and decimation of populations as a result of plagues and wars. This led to an excess of unmarried women. With no effective welfare system, society had a choice: Either support these women, or get rid of them. From the 1400s to the 1800s, the latter became the chosen path.
Today, there are similar economic, political and technological shifts. No surprise we’re hearing about childless cat ladies.
Whether we are talking about the 17th-century Salem witch trials, or the 21st-century maiming and murder of women and children accused of witchcraft in India and Africa, the witch is a familiar symbol of noncompliance. And the worst part? The accusations don’t have to be founded in reality. A woman can be deemed a witch for looking at someone the wrong way or inspiring lust (i.e. being hot). Historically, a neighbor could report her to the authorities if they suffered a sudden case of shingles, or their cow died. She could be accused of “spectral visitation,” i.e. coming into someone’s dreams, and her real-life human counterpart would be arrested. Calling her a witch eases our feelings of being out of control by giving us a target for our fear and loathing.
For centuries, the figure of the witch has been a scapegoat. It’s a bedrock of contemporary social theory, when traditional bonds are weakened or there is a social wound to the community, people align against evil. Usually, a group intervenes to explain the problem and offer solutions. Sociologist Stanley Cohen called them moral entrepreneurs, those who rush in to sell a solution and make a name for themselves. They are typically members of the dominant social class who use the opportunity to reassert their authority and power.
Witchcraft accusations haven’t gone away; they’ve adapted to the times with technology and audience segmentation. Women and girls assert their own authority, and in response, self-identified alpha males blame feminism. Internet trolls rail against women who dare to have opinions or expectations. In the political sphere, the right demonizes any woman who doesn’t fit their idealized version of a pretty, compliant mother and doting wife. Billionaire technocrat Elon Musk implies that rape will solve Taylor Swift’s independence by “giving” her a child. Christian nationalists openly decry witchcraft, invoking the Bible’s jezebel trope as a model of evil seductive powers being employed by the vice president.
It’s the Middle Ages all over again—except now, women are single by choice, not due to wars and plagues. With no viable policy solutions, the right launch full-tilt into the world of superstition, searching for demons to root out while blaming women and witchcraft. The persecution of witches has never been about magic, it’s always been about punishing (mostly) women who do not conform to patriarchal standards. It’s as true today as it was in 1692.
Are you a witch? If you wear trousers, can read, and want control over your own body and money, you bet your pointy-hat you are. As you prepare for this scary season, don’t despair—use your magic power. In 2024, don’t cast a spell, cast a vote.
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