Witchcraft Mythologies and Persecutions (Volume III Of Series "Demons, Spirits, Witches")

This third, concluding volume of the series publishes 14 studies and the transcription of a round-table discussion on Carlo Ginzburg's Ecstasies. The themes of the previous two volumes, Communicating with the Spirits, and Christian Demonology and Popular Mythology, are further expanded here both as regards their interdisciplinary approach and the wide range of regional comparisons. While the emphasis of the second volume was on current popular belief and folklore as seen in the context of the historical sources on demonology, this volume approaches its subject from the point of view of historical anthropology. The greatest recent advances of witchcraft research occurred recently in two fields: (1) deciphering the variety of myths and the complexity of historical processes which lead to the formation of the witches' Sabbath, (2) the micro-historical analysis of the social, religious, legal and cultural milieu where witchcraft accusations and persecutions developed. These two themes are completed by some further insights into the folklore of the concerned regions which still carries the traces of the traumatic historical memories of witchcraft persecutions.

Contents

Introduction by Gabor Klaniczay and Eva Pocs Mythologies Martine Ostorero, The Concept of the Witches' Sabbath in the Alpine Region (1430-1440) Text and Context Round-table discussion on Ecstasies by Carlo Ginzburg (with the participation of Wolfgang Behringer, Carlo Ginzburg, Gustav Henningsen, Gabor Klaniczay, Giovanni Pizza and Eva Pocs) Gabor Klaniczay: Learned Systems and Popular Narratives of Vision and Bewitchment Adelina Angusheva: Late Medieval Witch Mythologies in the Balkans Per Sorlin: Child-Witches and the Construction of the Witches' Sabbath: The Swedish Blakulla Story Legal mechanisms, social contexts Peter Toth G.: River Ordeal-Trial by Water-Swimming of Witches: Procedures of Ordeal in Witchcraft Trials Ildiko Kristof: How to Make a (Legal) Pact with the Devil? Legal Customs and Literacy in Witch Confessions in Early Modern Hungary Anna Brzezinska: Healing at the Jagiellonian Court Polina Melik Simonian: Following the Traces of Xenophobia in Muscovite Witchcraft Investigation Records Judit Kis-Halas: Trial of an Honest Citizen, Nagybanya 1704-5: The social and cultural context of witchcraft accusations - a tentative microanalysis Daniel Ryan: Boundaries and Transgressions: Witchcraft and Community Conflict in Estonia During the Late Nineteenth Century Witchcraft and folklore Francisco Vaz da Silva, Extraordinary Children, Werewolves and Witches in Portuguese Folk-Tradition Ulo Valk, Reflections of Folk Belief and Legends at the Witch Trials of Estonia Iveta Todorova-Pirgova: Witches and Priests in the Bulgarian Village: Past and Present Mirjam Mencej: Witchcraft in Eastern Slovenia

About Author:

Gabor KLANICZAY is Professor, Director of Doctoral Studies, Medieval Studies Department, CEU, Budapest.
Fields of interest of Gabor KLANICZAY are religious and cultural history. Gabor KLANICZAY research focuses on the historical anthropology of medieval and early modern European popular religion (sainthood, miracle beliefs, healing, magic, witchcraft). He is a pioneer in the application of anthropological methods to historical analysis in Hungary. His other endeavor is related to the comparative approach to history, within the framework of which he intends to situate historical observations on Hungary and Central Europe in an all-European context. His most recent topic is a comparative and cross-cultural analysis of medieval and modern visions and apparitions.

Year of birth 1950

Education, Academic Titles

1974 Graduated in History, Medieval Studies, and English Philology at Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest
1976 postgraduate studies in Paris with Jacques Le Goff (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) and Michel Mollat (Sorbonne)
1983 Dr. Phil. at ELTE
1994 Cand. Sci. at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2001 Dr. Habil., Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest
2004 Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Employments, Academic and Administrative Charges

1974-78 Editor at the review Vilagossag
1978-84 Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute for Historical Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1985-90 Secretary of the National Committee of Hungarian Historians
1984-90 Assistant Professor, 1990- Associate Professor, 1994-97 Head of the Department of Medieval European History, ELTE
1989-1993 Founding Editor of Budapesti Konyvszemle (BUKSZ) 1993-2001 Chairman of the Editorial Board
1990-97 Program Director, Historical Anthropology Program sponsored by the Soros Foundation, ELTE, Budapest, (together with Andras Gero)
1991-1997 Editor of Budapest Review of Books
1991-92 Associate Dean for International Relations at ELTE, Faculty of Humanities
1992-97 Head of the Department of Medieval Studies at CEU, Budapest
1997- Professor of Medieval Studies at CEU, Budapest
1997-2002 Rector and Permanent Fellow of Collegium Budapest
2002- Permanent Fellow of Collegium Budapest
2005-2007 Head of the Department of Medieval Studies at CEU, Budapest

Fellowships

1986 Research Fellowship, Columbia University, New York, (Institute on East-Central Europe)
1989 'Maitre de conferences associe' at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
1990-91 Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
1992 Getty Scholar at the Getty Center for Arts and the Humanities, Santa Monica
1996 Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center
2003/2004 Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford

Membership in University Committees

1989-99 ELTE reform committee
1992-99 a CEU Senate member (Doctoral Committee, External Relations Committee, Strategic Planning Committe)
1999-99 Chair of the Rector Search Committee of CEU
2001- CEU Doctoral Committee member
2001 - Humanities Center of the CEU International Advisory Council member

Membership in Other Academic Committees

1980-1985 a MTA Kulturalis Antropologia munkabizottsag
1990-2001 Secretary of the Frencs-Hungarian mixed Committee of Historians
2003-advisory board member Musee d'Europe (Bruxelles)
2003-member of the National Committee of Hungarian Historians
2006-2007 member of the Advisory Group on Humanities and Social Sciences at the DG Research of the European Commission, Bruxelles
2007-member of the Hungarian Accreditation Board - History Committee


Teaching experience

Since 1984 Courses in medieval history at ELTE, Budapest at CEU
since 1993/1994 one semester each year Hagiography
since 1995/96 one semester each year Historical Anthropology
1993/1994 New Sensitivities in Contemporary Historical Research
1995/1996 Magic in the Middle Ages
1996/1997 Religious Movements in Late Medieval Europe
1998/1999 Religion in the Courts (Saints, Heretics, Witches)
2000/2001 From the Ethnogenesis to Protonationalism
2001/2002 Mendicant Orders between West and East
since 1995 PhD Research Seminar
since 1995 PhD Seminar
since 1999 University and Department Network Coordination
2002/2003 The Cult of Saints and Medieval Canonization Trials
2002/2003 The Annales School - History and Historiography

Most important publications

A civilizacio peremen. Kulturtorteneti tanulmanyok, Budapest, Magveto, 1990, pp.393.
The Uses of Supernatural Power. The Transformations of the Popular Religion in Medieval and Early Modern Europe Polity Press, Cambridge - Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1990, pp.259.
With T. Klaniczay, Szent Margit legendai es stigmai. Irodalomtorteneti Fuzetek, 135, Argumentum, Budapest, 1994. pp. 255.
Az uralkodok szentsege a kozepkorban. Magyar dinasztikus szentkultuszok es europai modellek. Balassi Kiado, Budapest, 2000. pp. 372.
with E. Madas (eds.), Legendak es csodak (13-16. szazad). Szentek a magyar kozepkorbol II. Osiris Kiado, Budapest, 2001. pp. 501.
with I. Kristof, TEcritures saintes et pactes diaboliques. Les usages religieux de l'ecrit (Moyen Age et temps Modernes)t Annales HSS, 56 (2001), pp. 947-980.
Holy Rulers and Blessed Princesses. Dynastic Cults in Medieval Central Europe. translated by Eva Palmai, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002. pp. 400.
Transz es szkepticizmus Johannes Nider Formicarius cimu traktatusaban, in E. Pocs (ed.) Demonologia es boszorkanysag Europaban , L'Harmattan, Budapest, 2001. pp. 39-106.
Le stigmate di santa Margherita d'Ungheria: immagini e testi, Iconographica. Rivista di iconografia medievale e moderna, I, 2002, pp. 16-31.
(ed.) Europa ezer eve: a kozepkor, Osiris Kiado, Budapest, 2004. I-II. kot.