Book Review: Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici

Abstract

Silvia Federici’s book – Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women – published by PM Press in 2018, is a collection of essays split into two parts. Part I comprises essays about witch-hunting in Europe between the 15th and 18th centuries and Part II offers a contemporary and global view of witch-hunting. The volume is brought together with a composite introduction and conclusion. The question ‘Why now?’ is answered primarily through the two essays in Part II, which develop the case for historicising the current surge in violence against women in Mexico, India, and parts of Africa, countries that have in recent years been subject to the pressures of global capitalism.