The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England

Did Karlsen’s research change your perception of witches as a cultural figure? Were there any elements of Karlsen’s book that challenged your preconceived notions of witches in colonial New England? If so, which elements?

Throughout The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, Karlsen incorporates research methods from disciplines outside of history, including women’s studies, sociology, and anthropology. How did this varied methodology inform how Karlsen argued her thesis? Do you think her multi-disciplinary approach strengthened or hindered her historical analysis?

What was your favorite chapter and why? Which aspect of the witchcraft of colonial New England most interested or surprised you?

How did Karlsen’s incorporations of tables in her book effect your reading of this history? To what extent do the inclusions of such data sets help prove her arguments and analyses?

An important theme in The Devil in the Shape of a Woman is the ideological relationship between England and the New England colonies, in terms of gender and how both locations constructed the figure of the witch. How does Karlsen’s decision to link the events of New England witch trials to a broader global history enlighten our understanding of Puritan society and culture? Further, how does her research into the English-New England relationship help our understanding of the “witch” herself as a cultural phenomenon?

How does this Karlsen’s decision to extend her study of witchcraft beyond that of Salem to the whole of colonial New England strengthen her arguments concerning the religious, social, and economic components of Puritan life? How does her regional analysis better inform our understanding of Puritan witches?

In Chapter 7, Karlsen delves into the figure of the “possessed accuser”. In doing so, she takes the time to explain possession through an anthropological lens, situating the events in 17th-century New England amongst a broader cultural ritual that exists around the world. How did Karlsen’s analysis of possession and incorporation of such sources inform how you read about possessed accusers? Does this aspect of the history of American witchcraft change any preconceived notions you had about this topic beforehand? If so, how?

Karlsen’s book was one of the first major works to study American witchcraft through a distinctly gendered lens. Why do you think it took so long for historians to focus on the gendered component of this history? How does the general history of studying witchcraft link to the gender politics studied in Karlsen’s work?