Title: The path of the devil : early modern witch hunts /
Authors: Jensen, Gary F.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Witchcraft History.
Abstract: "The Path of the Devil is organized around three fundamental theories: witch hunts as functional sacrificial ceremonies, realistic conflict and strategic persecution, and scapegoat phenomena. The book integrates the sociologies of collective behavior, contentious conflict, and deviance with cross-disciplinary theory and research. The final chapters examine the Salem witch trials as "a perfect storm" and illustrate the general patterns found for early modern witch hunts and "modern witch hunts," which exhibit similarities that are found to be more than metaphorical."--Jacket.
Contents: Early modern witch hunts -- Explaining witch hunts: sacrifice, persecution, and scapegoat theories -- Apocalyptic variables: disease, war, and famine -- A discourse on measures -- Relationships over time -- The selection of targets: scapegoating, collective conflict, and victimology -- The Salem witch hunt: a perfect storm -- Modern "witch hunts": more than metaphors?