This volume offers 18 studies linked together by a common focus on the circulation and reception of motifs and beliefs in the field of folklore, magic, and witchcraft.

The chapters traverse a broad spectrum both chronologically and thematically; yet together, their shared focus on cultural exchange and encounters emerges in an important way, revealing a valuable methodology that goes beyond the pure comparativism that has dominated historiography in recent decades. Several of the chapters touch on gender relations and contact between different religious faiths, using case studies to explore the variety of these encounters. Whilst the essays focus geographically on Europe, they prefer to investigate relationships over highlighting singular, local traits. In this way, the collection aims to respond to the challenge set by recent debates in cultural studies, for a global history that prioritises inclusivity, moving beyond biased or learned attachments toward broader and broadening foci and methods.

With analysis of sources from manuscripts and archival documents to iconography, and drawing on writings in Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and other languages, this volume is essential reading for all students and scholars interested in cultural exchange and ideas about folklore, magic, and witchcraft in medieval and early modern Europe.

About the Author

Marina Montesano is Full Professor of Medieval History at the University of Messina, a fellow of Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, and a member of the scientific committee of the International Society for Cultural History (ISCH). Among her most recent monographs is Classical Culture and Witchcraft in Medieval and Renaissance Italy (2018).

Reviews

WINNER OF THE KATHERINE BRIGGS AWARD 2022

'A high-quality edited collection with a global scope and diverse set of contributors. The work transcends national and regional constraints to understand cultural expressions as part of a wider circulation of forms and meanings. Bringing a fresh approach with lively and well-constructed arguments, the book truly showcases the complexity and dynamic creativity of popular culture.' For more details see here - https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/the-katharine-briggs-award-2022/

'An engaging collection linking magical events and traditions - from painting to shapeshifting, collecting to witch trials, fairies to astrology - across time and location: surprising and informative.'

Marion Gibson, University of Exeter, UK

'Held together by the complex concept of cultural exchange, helpfully explored in the introduction, this collection of case-studies illuminates numerous aspects of folklore, magic and witchcraft, both medieval and early modern, from northern Scandinavia to the Islamic world, with a particular focus on Italy, bringing much new European scholarship into reach for an English-speaking audience.'

Jonathan Barry, University of Exeter, UK

'[...] the anthology looks beyond both the records of witchcraft trials and the notion of the magic-user as, exclusively, a witch, offering a diverse yet complementary set of perspectives on magical traditions as both substance and means of cultural exchange in Europe between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries.'

Anna Milon, Folklore, 2022

Book Information
ISBN 9780367557676
Author Marina Montesano
Format Paperback
Page Count 302
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 390g