Week 2 Class Business Post

When someone brings up the topic of witchcraft, most Americans automatically think back to 1692-- the height of the Salem Witch Hunt.

 Among the first images that come to mind are feline familiars, broomsticks, and hideously unattractive elderly women reciting demonic incantations while celebrating the devil.

 

While few people today fear that their neighbor has recently signed the devil's book, there are areas in the world  where genuine witchcraft beliefs are still a part of popular culture. 

 

Furthermore, in these areas, it is still the case that substantially more woman than man are accused of and executed for supernatural crimes. 

 

I came across this article today while browsing BBC.com:

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7413268.stm

 

This article discusses recent witchcraft accusations in Kenya, which ended in the murder of 11 elderly Kenyans by an angry mob. What I find interesting is that of the eleven people murdered, eight were women while only three were men.

 

While its not clear whether or not the people murdered were actually involved in ‘witchcraft activities’, I find it interesting that regardless of the geographical area, those accused of witchcraft overwhelmingly tend to be women. Even among fictional depictions, its difficult to imagine a male witch.

 

I think that gender expectations in pre-industrial societies have a lot to do with disproportionate amount of women murdered for witchcraft. When the American Colonies and England were in a similar economic state to some areas of Africa today, women were accused of witchcraft more often than men because they were seen as the weaker sex and therefore more vulnerable to falling for the guiles of the devil. Even the wealthiest women were not allowed to own property to the degree that men could (because they were not seen as capable), and therefore had little leverage in societal affairs.

 

 During the Salem trials, single women or women with questionable sexual/familial backgrounds who often had little money were among the first targeted. While the accusations did eventually expand to men and women with more money, it was mostly the vulnerable ones who ended up burning at the stake.  Because women have historically been seen as the weaker sex, even female accusers would target a woman as her tormentor before she would target a man.

 

There is no doubt that witchcraft in Kenya is very different than the witchcraft crises that occurred throughout Europe and in the Americas centuries ago. Still, it is important to note that women are still among the most targeted, along with the elderly. In this recent tragedy, all victims were over 80 years of age, and the majority were women. The fact that the people murdered were elderly further supports the idea that marginalized groups are easier to target and eliminate. Clearly, women in many areas, including this part of Kenya are also a marginalized group, seen as more of a burden to feed than they are worth.

 

I believe that gender expectations play a huge role in the way justice is carried out, even if that justice takes the form of an angry mob. While women in America and many other developed nations today enjoy the full benefit of the law, there are still countless women who are victim their own society’s lack of expectations for them. Witchcraft murders are only one example of this. What do you think?