Men have always been afraid of powerful women, explains Kristin J Sollee in her new book Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive, and the witch is the ultimate personification of that terror. "Witches, sluts and feminists are the trinity of terror for the patriarchy," Solly explains.
"For me, the primary impulse behind each of these three identities is independence... Witches, sluts and feminists embody the potential for self-directed female power and sexual and intellectual freedom," she adds in an interview with "The Guardian".
Solila's book is positioned as a history of witches in America and their association with sexually free women and radical liberal politics. These are mythological threats like Hekate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft, along with historical heroines like Joan of Arc to modern-day figures like Malala Yousafai. Midwives, Satanists, sex workers also got a lot of space... Soli takes the reader through the ages of mania, magic and mischief. She also unreservedly delves into the sensitive political issues of sex worker rights and the unique oppression faced by witches of color.
In the chapter "Hex Sells: Feminist, Capitalism, and the Witch," Soli pays particular attention to Urban Outfitters stores in Southern California, counting white lace scarves and incense sticks, showing the complexity of appropriation and its functionality as a starting point for those who they want to feel like witches.
"There will always be capitalist appropriation of identities and movements that were once marginalized. "I believe the first line of defense is to raise awareness of where these symbols came from and why they ring hollow when taken over for the benefit of a corporation," says Soli.
Hillary Clinton - The "Wicked Witch of the Left" is given a special chapter. During the contentious 2016 presidential campaign, the Democratic candidate was called a "witch and a bitch" by talk show host Rush Limbaugh, emboldened by the fact that Trump supporters mocked her in the same way that Bernie Sanders supporters chanted, "Burn the Witch!" !". Clinton's shortcomings as a candidate have been debated to death, but the overwhelming hatred for her is undoubtedly attributed in part to her gender and her boldness in the struggle for power.
The rampant misogyny, white supremacy, and bigotry of her opponent's campaign won Trump few friends on the left, as the Women's March (where some marchers dressed in black carried "Witches for Black Lives" and "Act on the Patriarchy" banners) and the phenomenon of "mass witchcraft " followed his inauguration. Witch groups across the country gathered to cast a spell of resistance against Trump, and renewed their effort again on June 20, the day of the summer solstice. While many of these gatherings were largely symbolic, their intent was deadly serious. In an interview with Broadly, Lucian Graves, founder of the Satanic Temple, characterized these spells as a form of protest, calling them "a symbolic expression of ritual dissatisfaction."
Soli sees this kind of magical community as a positive outlet for collective catharsis. "Whether you believe in the magic of the collective consciousness or whatever, these mass witchcraft create community through shared intent," she explains.
"Witches have always been politically radical, in my opinion, but it seems that American witches are even more so these days because the Internet is enabling a new type of organizing on a larger scale.
"It's no coincidence that the witch's resurgence as a symbol of female power and persecution begins with women's rights activists and later sees a renaissance in the feminist movement of the 1960s," she continues. "In this new era of sexist unrest, it's only fitting that she resurrects once more to teach, inspire and remind us how far we've come - and how far we still have to go."
There's no one way to become a witch, as Soli points out, and that's what our pop culture icons - from The Wizard of Oz to Elvira and the TV series American Horror Story: Coven - have taught us. Her book does not intend to define any of its subjects; on the contrary, it is more tempting to peek behind the curtain. She personally sees a witch as a broad term, defining her as “someone who can redirect perceptions and create change. Identity can be conceived in many ways, it's all about discovering what type of witch you are or what type of witch you want to be."
Soli also carefully notes the real danger that witches still face in some parts of the world. To this day, witch trials result in violence against women, including murder - from the Salem hangings and the violent 15th-century European witch hunts to the killing of 500 "witches" in Tanzania each year and the ongoing persecution of "witch children" in The Gambia.
"People fear what they cannot control. It reminded me of that quote that equality is like oppressing those who have always had the upper hand. The threat to gender equality is a terrifying image - all those untamed, angry women on the road to bodily autonomy. But we can turn it to our advantage by embracing our anomalies in a way that confounds those who want to silence us. Their fear can become our power," Soli points out.
Bonus video:
