Magic Body and the Self in Eighteenth-Century Sweden

With the beginning of the Age of Reason and the theories of men like Descartes and Kant on the relationship of mind and body, it is assumed by many that magic and witchcraft withered. Van Gent (history and women's studies, University of Western Australia) uses the testimony from over 800 trials for witchcraft from 18th-century Sweden, drawing conclusions form this evidence and from her use of anthropological methods. The witch hunts had ended, she argues, but the belief in magic, both benevolent and malign, continued. The conviction that spirit can control matter was still very much alive, albeit changed; and Van Gent explores these changes, particularly in the attitudes of authorities. She also discusses the ambiguous nature of magic, that it can be used to heal as well as harm, a distinction that may help to explain why, even today, the belief in magic has not entirely vanished. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)