In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial

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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 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 by Mona Chollet, Sophie R Lewis In Defence of Witches by Mona Chollet, Sophie R Lewis

This is not to say Chollet’s book is of no interest. It starts off well, with a look at early artistic representations of witches, and goes on to link the witch-hunts with antisemitism. Chollet suggests both persecutions were a product of society’s need to find a scapegoat for its ills, pointing out that terms such as “sabbath” and “synagogue” were also used in reference to witches, while both groups were depicted with hooked noses. PDF / EPUB File Name: In_Defence_of_Witches_-_Mona_Chollet.pdf, In_Defence_of_Witches_-_Mona_Chollet.epub Et lire les destins tragiques et révoltants de ces milliers de femmes accusées de sorcellerie, eh bien figurez-vous que ça m'a donné encore plus de force. Je suis habitée d'une colère qui me donne envie de m'investir encore plus dans ma lutte féministe, qui me donne envie d'encore plus de sororité. Hotjar sets this cookie to identify a new user’s first session. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user. Rehabilitates the figure of the witch, this dangerously independent, educated and strong woman.”— Slate

The Witch is arguably the only female archtupe that has power on its own terms. She is not defined by anyone else.' 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 Here are a few of the “villainous” things women are doing: “loving myself”, “existing unapologetically”, ”self-dates”, “drinking water and exercising”, and “treating others how they treat me”. Whilst it’s great to see women reclaim the villains of old, should we consider it radical for women to simply exist? Should we consider it radical for women to take care of their physical and mental health? Women have been so far removed from both rights and respect that to speak out and exist as individuals, they must first don the guise of a witch. This false renaissance of witches and villains may seem empowering, but it hides a deeper message - that women who put themselves first are villains in today's society, just as they were in the 1500s. The self-label of “villain” shows how deeply ingrained in society and women this notion truly is. It is not just having abortions which makes a woman a witch-like figure - simply existing can sometimes be enough to be labelled a villain. Some of the women labelled witches or villains Rich with popular culture, literary references and media insights, In Defence of Witches is a vital addition to the cultural conversation around women, witches and the misogyny that has shaped the world they live in. Boys are encouraged to map out their adult trajectory in the most adventurous manner possible. Conquering the world all alone is the most romantic path possible for a guy, and he can only pray that some lady doesn’t slow him down along the way, thereby ruining everything. But for women, the romance of forging out into the world is painted as pathetic and dreary if there’s no dude there. […] And Jesus, does it take hard work to reinvent the world outside those narrow conventions!22

In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still On Trial In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still On Trial

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 It took me a while to read this because the book was so important to me. The name drew me in, the content did the same.

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. Rehabilitates the figure of the witch, this dangerously independent, educated and strong woman.” — Slate

In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still on [PDF] [EPUB] In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still on

The truth about witches is far more than that and far less evil and ugly. In today's world, a woman deemed to be too independent, too sure of herself, too aware of her self worth, and just plain solitary are sometimes called "witch", using the term in a most derogatory manner not fitting with the true definition of the word. Being childless is also something that women become ‘othered’ for choosing. ‘ Regret is used as a threat to push women who do not wish to be mother into motherhood even when abortion is not an issue,’ says feminst activist and sociologist Orna Donarth. Chollet looks at the life of Gloria Steinem who was frequently criticized for not wanting children, or Simone de Beauvoir who wrote that ‘ I never once dreamed of rediscovering myself in the child I might bear,’ in response to people telling her she is likely filled with regret. This ties into Chollet’s next chapter on aging and how much aging women are criticized has a lot more to do with fertility than age. 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?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". When I run over Lancashire’s Pendle Hill, I think of witches. It is hard not to, when nearby Barley village has a statue of a woman hanged for being a witch, although she has no hooked nose or familiar, just a bonnet and her hands in chains. The Pendle Witches were ten women and girls, and two men. They were beggars and old women and young women, healers and labourers, poor women mostly. The Pendle Witch trial shows the truth of witch-hunts: that they were about land and power and malice, but also, always, about the inescapable misogyny with which women are still assaulted.

In Defence of Witches – Pages of Hackney In Defence of Witches – Pages of Hackney

Mona Chollet is a Franco-Swiss writer and journalist. She is the chief editor for Le Monde diplomatique and has also written for Charlie Hebdo. She lives in Paris, France. This is also an aspect of homophobia, as queer or trans women do not fit into the patriarchial mold. For instance, for that for all the browbeating to become a mother for straight women, queer women are often denied access to adoption in many countries or by certain adoption agencies. I was thrilled to find Chollet quoted Jeanette Winterson, an absolute favorite, on how being queer and not tied down by children or traditional marriage was freedom that helped her career. In the book Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult, the authors point out that witchcraft is often used in media as a queer metaphor. The show Bewitched for example, about which actress Elizabeth Montgomery says she was proud of the queer undertones, admitting it was present and alway ' about repression in general.' Montgomery would go on to be a prominent voice advocating for the queer community. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin.Allows us to understand... the witch hunts of the past influenced the representation of women today.”— Le Monde (France) TW: abortion, abuse, adult/minor relationship, antisemitism, body shaming, child death, domestic abuse, forced institutionalization, homophobia, lesbophobia, medical content, medical trauma, miscarriage, misogyny, physical abuse, pregnancy, racism, rape, religious bigotry, r slur (used in technical form), sexism, sexual abuse, sexual assault, torture, violence.