Witchcraft and witch hunting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Witchcraft and witch hunting - Research Paper Example Witchcraft along with witch hunting created a social and intellectual tradition in early modern Europe and there are persistent arguments concerning the extents of the invention of this tradition . This historiography paper considers directions in the study of European witchcraft along with a review of the contributions of contemporary scholars. The final executions of individuals who were convicted as witches in Europe happened in the eighteenth century. In Great Britain, witchcraft stopped being an act punishable by law in 1735 after the Witchcraft Act, while in Germany, sorcery continued to be punished by the law well into the late eighteenth century. There have been reports of modern witch-hunts from sub-Saharan Africa, Papua New Guinea and India while official laws against witchcraft still exist in Saudi Arabia as well as Cameron . Since the thirties, the phrase witch-hunt has been utilized emblematically in the description of activities by governments in an effort to seek and e xpose perceived enemies in most cases as a means of directing the opinion of the public through creating some level of moral panic. The importance of this historical aspect will also reflect the early modern Europe, which took place against a backdrop of rapid social, economic, and religious transformation. In addition, the history of witchcraft and the witch craze is a topic that has fascinated the majority of people for centuries.