Mona makes you realize how hard women had it. She has done extensive research on the witch hunts and trials and it shows. I found this book quite interesting. As someone with a degree in psychology, who learned all about how witchcraft was diagnosed as a mental illness, and as a feminist, this non-fiction narrative hit many of the right notes for me. It is important to remember that men have always used methods to have control over women and their agency, and witches/witch hunts are a prime example of this. In 1400s it was the Malleus Maleficarum, and in our present date it's... well you can figure it out.

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 The author delves into the past used to vilify and murder independent women, widows and elderly women throughout our culture and still today. As the author moves through the times we see how in today's culture independent single women,, our elderly women and successful women who prefer to live on on their own are vilified by mysogany and hate of women that permeates our lives, the media and culture. I appreciate the detail and case studies the author has inclusive here to mysogany. I was personally most interested in the ways that the witch hunts we widely think of as a thing of the past have simply morphed into more subtle, and in some ways more sinister, forms of control and punishment. Looking at the information as laid out for the reader, I have a much better understanding and appreciation for the various ways women can and do re-appropriate not only words but indeed their own sexuality and make them work to their benefit and happiness rather than as means of controlling them.

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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.

I highly recommend strongly that all women and young girls read this body of work. The author examines the archetype under our patrichael misogynist culture of the moniker "Witch" when referring to independent, , successful, talented, widowed or solitary women . 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. 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. And, in a widely read book from 1967, André Soubiran, a doctor, reflected: “One wonders whether feminine psychology can accommodate freedom and the absence of men’s domination as well as we imagine.”27 Chollet focuses on three traits common to many women then suspected of witchcraft: being elderly, childless, and independent of any man. Such traits among modern women are still suspect, she writes, devoting a whole chapter to vigorously defending the child-free life. While that choice is fundamental (especially at a time when abortion rights are being threatened in the US) mothers need an equally full defense from feminists, especially as the pandemic wiped out their employment gains and consigned them to home for so long.I write this at a time of great peril for women, LGBT people, and sexual freedom as a whole, particularly in my country, the United States. Forces of white supremacy, patriarchy, and theocratic dogma are attempting to use the state for purposes that can be called little else than evil. While she has since been released from jail, the arrest of Lizelle Herrera under charges of murder for having an abortion portends a grim future. Susan Stryker Discusses Trans Studies, Trans Feminism, and a More Trans Future with V Varun Chaudhry 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. What kinds of women are persecuted? It was an eye-opener to realize that I fit all three categories the author chose to examine: The Independent Woman, The Childless Woman, and I’ve recently started edging my way into the Elderly Woman. It’s no wonder I’ve felt the need to defend my lifestyle and beliefs ever since I first moved out on my own. The witch hunts have never ended, and we need to recognize that.

The campaign led between 1507 and 1593 in twenty-two villages in the region of Trier, In Germany–the starting point and also the epicenter, along with Switzerland, of the witch hunts–was so relentless that two of the villages, only one woman was left alive; in total 368 women were burned.” 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 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 The first two chapters focus heavily on when women choose not to have children and how society treats this choice. The third looks at the differences between how men and women age, or how society treats them differently as they age. These sections were clear, organized, focused on the topics. I was occasionally reminded that the book was written and published in Europe, as it would refer to resources in French, and mention how things were in America. This lead to the author having a positive connotation for witches rather than the negative one that society has formed.While the structure of "In Defense of Witches" may seem loose, it's a book that rewards those who persevere with it through the very end as Chollet's structure really comes to life when seen through the lens of its wholeness and it's Chollet's ability to argue both academically and personally that makes this a particularly impactful and effective work. You may not agree with everything that Chollet writes, and if you're not a feminist you likely won't, but it's practically undeniable that Chollet argues well and she documents precisely and beautifully. Witch hints in Europe started in 1400 and went through Renaissance rill 1560. The last ones were in the 18th century. In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet is an excellent nonfictional account of the history and evolution of the labeling of women through time and the subsequent treatment of the associated victims. Truly fascinating! 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: Nonfiction books about witches typically fall into two categories - the historical horrors of trials and executions or 21st century witchcraft guides for the modern practitioner. In Defense of Witches is something altogether different in its universality and resonance and application. While this book covers significant historical ground, the modern day context is not meant to serve as a how-to guide, but rather as a deep and nuanced exploration of the myriad ways women continue to live in a society shaped by centuries-old societal and cultural norms, misogyny, and fear. "We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren't able to burn," and yet we continue to live out the sentence in many ways, both veiled and overt. Scholarly yet accessible, In Defense of Witches opens with the invitation to envision the first witch who captured our attention. For me, it was Glinda from The Wizard of Oz, and later Samantha of the television show Bewitched - and still later Gillian from Bell, Book, and Candle. Magical, dynamic, beautiful, smart, and usually with a cat around. Those characters would shape my perceptions about witches - and inform my own development in profound ways. The conclusion of this book is a powerful reminder of our own agency and potent to call to action to harness the "joy of audacity" in shaping a new legacy - one of humanity, equity, harmony with nature, and "the untrammeled enjoyment of our bodies and our minds." So mote it be.

The women who were murdered in Salem in 1692 were not performing witchcraft. They were not brewing potions in cauldrons, or if they were, they were not doing so because they were calling upon the Devil to manifest ill for their neighbors. They were just doing laundry. While some of them had some manner of outsider status or may have be seen as rebels, many were simply going about the work of everyday life, like Rebecca Nurse, a 71-year-old woman who was particularly known for her piety and good nature yet was executed as a witch. The most likely thing that was going to get you accused of witchcraft was simply being a woman; you didn’t even have to be a rebel, intentionally or accidentally. Chollet’s discussion about the “childless woman” falls perfectly into this category of female power and is unfortunately just as relevant as it was 500 years ago. Women who disrupted the patriarchal structure by forgoing married life or children were viewed with contempt, labelled as witches, and excluded from society. The vehement condemnation of the childless woman seems to be more about the women who dared to take control of their own lives than anything else. 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 Today we often hear "witch hunt" in a variety of contexts, but none of them are remotely close to the original witch hunts, which were almost entirely focused on women — and regularly included torture, rape, and death, always at the hands of men. While we no longer burn women at the stake, some of the anti-woman sentiment at the core of witch hunts is, unfortunately, alive and healthy. As author Carmen Maria Machado says in the book's introduction, we no longer burn, hang, or drown as many women now as we did in the past, "but there is no shortage of ways women's lives continue to be destroyed. Women are abused, assaulted, economically disempowered, raped, shoved into the margins, pressured, silenced, ignored, treated as guinea pigs, co-opted, stolen from, misrepresented, forced into pregnancy or servitude, imprisoned, and, yes, sometimes murdered."Mona explains her initial fascination with witches. It started with Snow white's witch who appears as a warty old woman. Today, news media and people in trouble still use phrases like "witch hunt" to describe what they find an unfair assault on the character of a person. Writer Mona Chollet presents a highly researched look at witches as feminist icons. The three types of women that she looks closest at are those who were most often accused of witchcraft. These include the independent women, the childless woman, and elderly women. In Defense of Witches goes through the history of terrorism against women, censorship, and repression. This is definitely not an easy or happy read, so put that out of your mind at the start. 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.