MIT OpenCourseWare
  • OCW home
  • Course List
  • about OCW
  • Help
  • Feedback
  • Support MIT OCW

Readings

In addition to the following bibliography, a listing of the assigned readings by class session is available.

Required Readings

Covington, Dennis. Salvation on Sand Mountain. New York, NY: Penguin (Non Classics), 1996. ISBN: 0140254587.

Braude, Ann. Radical Spirits. 2nd ed. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0253215021.

Levack, Brian. The Witch Hunt in Early Modern Europe. 2nd ed. New York, NY; London, UK: Longman Press, 1995. ISBN: 058208069X.

Boyer, P., and S. Nissenbaum. Salem Posessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1976. ISBN: 0674785266.

Slyomovich, Susan. "Ritual Grievance: the Language of Woman?" Woman and Performance 5, no. 1 (1990).

Ong, Aihwa. "The Production of Possession: Spirits and the Multinational Corporation in Malaysia." American Ethnologist 15 (1987).

Christian, William. Visionaries: The Spanish Republic in the Reign of Christ. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999, pp. 13-40, 243-254, and 287-301. ISBN: 0520219481.

Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1996, pp. 137-157, and 259-286. ISBN: 0140144382.

Willis, Deborah. Malevolent Nurture. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995, pp. 1-43. ISBN: 0801481945.

Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 67-75. ISBN: 0521558204.

Karlsen, Carol. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 1998, pp. 110-112. ISBN: 0393317595.

Showalter, Elaine. Hystories. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1998, pp. 159-170, and 189-201. ISBN: 0231104596.

Acocella, Joan. "The Politics of Hysteria," The New Yorker, April 6, 1998.

Rothenberg, Daniel. Gringo Organ Sellers.

Grann, David. "Stalking Dr. Steere Over Lyme Disease." The NY Times, June 17, 2001.

Loftus, Elizabeth, and Katherine Ketcham. The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin, 1996, pp. 20-30. ISBN: 0312141238.

Ofshe, Richard, and Ethan Watters. Making Monsters. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996, pp. 155-175. ISBN: 0520205839.

Additional Readings

In addition to the required readings for the course, following sources for background reading and the assignment on witchcraft theories are suggested.

Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbors.

Cohn, Bernard. Europe's Inner demons.

Demos, John. Entertaining Satan.

Levack, Brian, ed. Articles on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology, v.3, Witch-hunting in Early Modern Europe: General Studies.

Levack, Brian, ed. New Perspectives on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology, v.4, Gender and Witchcraft.

Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story.

Sharpe, James. Instruments of Darkness.

Willis, Deborah. Malevolent Nurture.

Readings by Class Session


SES # Topics Readings
1 Introduction
2 Videos and Discussion, Spirit Possession Class Reader: articles by Slyomovichs & Ong

Start Covington, Sand Mountain.
3 Film, The Holy Ghost people (PDF) Covington, all.
4 Discuss Film and Covington Reading (PDF)
5 Film, Secrets of the Psychics Braude. Radical Spirits. Chapters 1-4.
6 Film, Telegrams From the Dead (PDF) Braude. Chapters 5-8.
7 Discuss Spiritualism
8 Divination and Magic Reader

Christian.
9 Discuss Visionaries (PDF) Levack. Chapters 1-3

Reader

Briggs. "Projection of Evil."
10 Witchcraft

Film, Strange Beliefs
Levack. Chapters 4-5.
11 Heresy, Millenialism and Witch Hunting

Class Reports
Levack. Chapters 6.

Reader

Briggs. "Men against Women." Willis.
12 Discuss European Witch Hunt

Class Reports
13 Europe 2

Villages
Levack. Chapters 7-8.

Boyer & Nissenbaum. Chapter 1.
14 Europe 3

Gender

Class Reports
15 Film, Three Sovereigns for Sarah, Part I B&N. Chapters 2-5

Reader

Karlsen & Rosenthal.
16 Three Sovereigns, part II
17 Visit Salem Village (Danvers) (PDF) B&N. Chapters 6-8.
18 Discuss Salem

Class Reports
Reader

Showalter, Acocella, Rothenberg, Grann.
19 Salem 2

Class Reports
20 Film on Space Alien Possession (PDF) Reader

Loftus & Ketcham, and Ofshe & Watters.
21 Discuss Space Aliens, Split Personality (PDF)
22 Film, Search for Satan
23 Satanic Conspiracies, Recovered Memory
24 Film, Divided Memories
25 Divided Memories, Discussion
26 Wrap-up