EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | "The Witch-hunt: Politics, Religion and Folklore in Renaissance Europe" 
Presented by Dr. Matteo Duni
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

The witch, an enduring presence in current pop culture, is imagined alternatively as a scary, horror movie-like creature with supernatural powers or as a harmless, actually benevolent and even funny presence, that dispenses good humor as well as magical recipes. The complex history of this figure shows that such caricatural traits, far from being just the product of present fads, are linked to specific events and social phenomena. Dr. Duni’s presntation will first trace the past of the witch back to some of the most disturbing pages of European history, such as the first mass-persecutions of the Jews and of other medieval outgroups depicted by authorities as the devil’s minions. Then it will reconstruct the other side of the witch, its folkloric dimension and its multiple functions in the local communities, also by drawing on the contemporary imagery of the witch as created by both artists and Catholic theologians and inquisitors of the Renaissance era.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Matteo Duni has devoted several decades to the study of the witch-hunt in Renaissance and Reformation Europe. His research focuses on witchcraft and folklore, the role of the Inquisition, and the debate on the reality of witchcraft between witch-hunters and skeptics. He teaches courses on medieval and Renaissance history and on the history of the witch-hunt at Syracuse University’s and New York University’s centers in Florence, Italy. His publications include Tra religione e magia. Storia del prete Modenese Guglielmo Campana(Firenze, 1999), Under the Devil’s Spell. Witches, Sorcerers and the Inquisition in Renaissance Italy (Firenze, 2007), the proceedings of the conference Prescritto e Proscritto: Religione e società nell’Italia moderna(Roma, 2015), as well as many articles in scholarly journals.