Witch Hunts Everywhere:
a feminist re-mapping of misogyny and contemporary anti-witch violence
RCGV member Dr. Soma Chaudhuri recently published a new research article.
Learn more and read the full article below:
Introduction
The time for witch studies is now. This special issue of the Journal of Gender Studies arrives at a historical juncture in which the figure of the witch, whether invoked in literal accusations leading to persecution or in metaphorical claims of political victimhood, has once again captured public life. On the one hand, we see witch hunts unfolding in their most brutal and embodied forms: women in India, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and across parts of sub-Saharan Africa accused of wielding dangerous powers and subjected to torture, ostracism, and death (Chaudhuri, 2013; Chaudhuri & Ward, 2025). On the other hand, we witness the exploitation of the phrase ‘witch hunt’ by enormously powerful men, such as Donald Trump, to describe efforts to hold them legally accountable (Haberman, 2017). That a U.S. president could invoke a history of violence largely directed against women and marginalized groups to defend himself illustrates both the cultural staying power and the political malleability of witch hunts. It also underscores why this special issue is not simply timely but urgent.