Date of Award

Spring 2017

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

History

First Advisor

Thomas Wickman

Second Advisor

Scott Gac

Abstract

It is easy to overlook relational history in terms of space and movement because it is not an obvious aspect of the trial records. Nor is it able to be identified by looking solely at individual cases, such as Salem. When scholars look exclusively at learned works and use the trial records to fill in the narrative, they ignore the possibility of the trials to speak for themselves. Only through an in depth examination can a multidimensional understandings shine through. Fear of witchcraft was a given and was not a new concept associated with witchcraft trials. However it is possible to view the accused as a tangible representation of the unnatural world existing within the community, rather than a foreign or outside force. The surrounding environment was paradoxically feared and met with increased curiosity. The relationship between these border places and the domestic space, which included the surrounding land areas of the home, were more fluid as colonists had an increasing knowledge of them. Increased awareness, reflected in the trials, signaled that concern of witches was constant one, and that witch-hunts were a perpetual state of mind.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in History.

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