The living history anthology, perspectives from ALHFAM

Abstract

witchcraft is a persistent doubt, rather than a belief system. These theories are a far cry from conscious decision and coherent faith. And it is not clear if Waters’ characterization of witchcraft as a willed belief system fits very well with the material he himself presents. When discussing the Scottish slander trial from 1862, for instance, he highlights the mixed, ambiguous, agnostic, and changeable attitudes towards witchcraft among the population (80–3). A similar point could be made about his discussion of the paradoxical scepticism of the unwitcher Alexander Henderson (103). It must be said that debates over chronology, causation, and how belief is conceptualized are perhaps inevitable in any book of this methodological, chronological, and geographical ambition, especially one dealing with the ever-contentious topic of harmful magic. As Waters reminds readers, witchcraft remains a matter of life and death today, and readers will find this book a provocative and entertaining read, whether they share his conception of witchcraft belief and its decline or not.