In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial

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As a woman who chose not to have children, Chollet is particularly strong on the prejudice, and the fear, of a society that judges her deficient based on this decision. She quotes other well-known female writers on this topic, among them Elizabeth Gilbert, Rebecca Solnit, Gloria Steinem and Jeanne Safer, the latter eventually coming to the realisation that she "didn't want to have a baby: she 'want[ed] to want' to have a baby".

In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet review — ‘The louder we

Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed?

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One day, in March 1990, on CNN, Larry King is hosting Gloria Steinem, the American feminist superstar. A member of the TV audience calls from Cleveland, Ohio. Her tone is warm; we assume this is a fan. But we soon realize this is not the case. “I really believe that your movement was a total failure…” the silky voice goes on. “You are one of the primary causes of the downfall of our beautiful American family and society today. A couple of questions. I’d like to know if you’re married … If you have children.” Twice, an unruffled Steinem gallantly replies, “No.” Interrupted by the presenter, who diplomatically attempts to sum up her case, the anonymous avenger looses her final bombshell: “I have said for the last fifteen years that Gloria Steinem should rot in hell.”1 Unlike her namesake Mona Eltahawy, the Egyptian-American feminist whose recent publication Seven Necessary Sins was full of commendable rage against the sins of the patriarchy, Chollet takes a more considered view. Snippets of her personal life show a measured, methodical approach to her writing, both as editor of the French broadsheet Le Monde Diplomatique, and in her previous feminist non-fiction efforts. Rehabilitates the figure of the witch, this dangerously independent, educated and strong woman.” — Slate A smart feminist treatise reclaiming the witch and her radical way of life as a path forward for women…. Chollet’s informed and passionate treatment will appeal to readers looking for more substance amid the witch trend that’s otherwise been largely commodified and often scrubbed of its feminist origins.”—Jenna Jay, Booklist A journalist who, in the early 1970s, became an ardent defender of women’s rights, Gloria Steinem has always offered her critics a good run for their money. First, her beauty and her many lovers give the lie to the old chestnut that feminist protest only masks the bitterness and frustration of plain Janes whom no man has done the honor of rescuing from the shelf. What’s more, the full and dynamic life Steinem has led and leads today, a whirlwind of travels and new vistas, of activism and writing, of love and friendship, seriously complicates the picture for those who believe a woman’s life means nothing without partnership and motherhood. To a journalist who asked why she wasn’t married, Steinem gave the justly celebrated reply: “I can’t mate in captivity.”

In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial

For me, the history of witchcraft could equally be called the history of independence…the most troubled territories are always those that want to be independent.’Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions.

In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet - Pan Macmillan In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet - Pan Macmillan

Chollet comes out of the gate swinging with her introduction that delves into historical witch-hunts. Offering informative statistics and a general overview on how they came about, fun details like Pope Gregory IX declaring cats the "devil's servants" and executing so many cats along with witches that the rat population grew and spread disease (subsequently blamed on witches), and examining issues such as criminalization of contraception and abortions occurring during the same period as witch-hunts. ‘ Witch-hunters are revealed as both obsessed with and terrified by female sexuality,’ she observes in her discussion of historical documents such as The Malleus Maleficarum. ‘ When for ‘witches’ we read ‘women,’ we gain fuller comprehension of the cruelties inflicted by the church upon this portion of humanity,’ said women’s activist Matilda Joslyn Gage, and while Chollet examines how men, too, were accused and murdered (though in far fewer numbers with significantly higher acquittals and tended to be accused to their intimacy with accused witches), she explains how Gage’s statement is in line with the book to come. Chollet’s introduction also serves as a criticism of the already well-trodden path of witch-hunt history books, pointing out how even those that attempt sensitivity tend to do a fair amount of victim blaming, often even asking why the groups accused of witchcraft ‘ attracted to itself the scapegoating mechanism,’ while also scapegoating any reason except for misogyny and control as to why these hunts occurred. Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions. What remains of the witch hunts? A stubborn misogyny, which still tints the way our societies look at single women, childless women, aging women, or quite simply, free women . . . Today more than ever, witches tell us about our world and lead the way.’– Télérama Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant, well-documented” celebration ( Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution. In this context, independent women arouse skepticism in all fields. Sociologist Érika Flahault shows how this skepticism has been expressed in France since the appearance, in the early twentieth century, of single women living alone—where they would once have been “taken in by relations, by their extended family or local community in almost every case.”25 She disinters journalist Maurice de Waleffe’s observation from 1927:What do Walt Disney, William Shakespeare and Roald Dahl have in common? Aside from the fact that they're men, or perhaps because of this, they have all created at least one enduring evil witch character. Not allowing the fun of the imagery to distort history or appropriate other cultural traditions is something to keep in mind, especially since Chollet points out the large number of women of color who were persecuted and how much American witch-hunts were used to target the indigenous. This comes later with the topic of medicine and wellness. ‘ The witch becomes the ‘antimother,’’ Chollet writes, ‘ many of the accused were healers who played the role of midwife—but who also used to help women wishing to prevent or terminate a pregnancy.’ This was during a time women were denied access to medical school and Cholett discusses that part of their eradication was to silence anyone that wasn’t part of the academic cannon. As witchcraft ideas have started to be absorbed or co-opted into wellness communities or other natural health circles, the infiltration of white supremacy in the wellness industry is something that should also be kept in mind too, as well as trying to remember snake oil salesman use the same bad faith marketing as any other big industry so it can sometimes be difficult to parse out what is an effective alternative remedy and what is not. Allows us to understand... the witch hunts of the past influenced the representation of women today.” — Le Monde (France) Pese a que empecé a leer este ensayo con unas expectativas bastante altas respecto a datos históricos sobre la brujería en la Edad Moderna, me encontré con una revisión acertada y bien argumentada (aunque muy personal) de algunos de los prejuicios asociados a las brujas que siguen teniendo validez y significación hoy en día. Chollet nos coge la mano y, con ella, paseamos a través del mito de la belleza asociado a la juventud femenina, al imperativo de la maternidad si eres mujer (y el precio que pagamos aquellas que decidimos no serlo), al peso de la soltería, a las relaciones de poder en parejas con diferencia de edad y a la violencia médica y psiquiátrica que las mujeres hemos sufrido a lo largo de los siglos, entre otras problemáticas que la autora abarca no sólo desde su perspectiva y experiencia personal, sino apoyándose en multitud de fuentes que, al menos a mi parecer, me hacen tener un orgasmo con tan sólo mirar la cuidadísima y extensísima bibliografía de este libro. Dispiriting as this is, Girod de l’Ain’s piece at least reveals the degree to which women are conditioned to value their infantilization and to derive their sense of self-worth from their objectification—or at least French women do, for, that year too, Canadian Marie Claire was assuring us that, in Quebec, “the term reveals such archaic thinking that calling a woman ‘mademoiselle’ will guarantee you a slap in response.”21

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts an…

What types of women have been censored, eliminated, repressed, over the centuries?Mona Chollet takes three archetypes from historic witch hunts, and examines how far women today have the same charges levelled against them: independent women; women who choose not to have children; and women who reject the idea that to age is a terrible thing. Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a celebration by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution.PDF / EPUB File Name: In_Defence_of_Witches_-_Mona_Chollet.pdf, In_Defence_of_Witches_-_Mona_Chollet.epub