They Went on Conjuring Happily Ever After?

Abstract

This catalogue accompanies an exhibition entitled “Worlds of witches,” on display in the ethnological museum in Hamburg from May 2001 to April 2002 (and in Berlin between May 2002 and August 2002). The subject of “witches” and “witchcraft” is dealt with in seven articles and twenty short texts presented in the exhibit. Even though the catalogue starts out discussing popular views on mysticism in early modern times and the persecution of women as “witches” in early modern Hamburg, the book does not primarily investigate witches and witchcraft from a historical or cultural-historical perspective. Neither does the book’s concept appear informed by approaches from the field of women’s studies and gender studies. The dominating perspective is that of an ethnologist in search of explanations for today’s fascination with witchcraft and magic. Thus, quite a bit of space is devoted to talking about present-day forms of witchcraft in Western Europe and North America, practiced by both men and women. The discussion of practitioners engaged in “Reclaiming Community” serves to present witchcraft as a certain type of spirituality, a new religion in a world dominated by science and technology. The exhibition as well as its catalogue intends to assist visitors of the exhibit and readers in deciding for themselves whether “witches”—however one might define them—really exist.