Literature Review 3

 

Resisting Rhetorics of Violence: Women, Witches, and Wicca by Jo Pearson

Citation:

Pearson, Jo. “Resisting Rhetorics of Violence: Women, Witches and Wicca.” Feminist Theology, vol. 18, no. 2, SAGE Publications, 2010, pp. 141–59, doi:10.1177/0966735009348669.

https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/doi/abs/10.1177/0966735009348669

Summary:Witches, witch-hunting and women : New Frame

          Pearson covers the history of the violence against witches and the different types of violence that not just witches, but all women face. It also speaks about the kind of violence that the witch can cause against others witch magic or revenge. She talks about the three different types of witches being Daly-an, Starhawkin, and Wiccan and how they differ from each other when it comes to empowerment and its depictions of violence.

Author:

          I could not find anything about Jo Pearson, as the only results that are coming up are about a singer. I found a Joanne Pearson, who has written multiples books and articles about religion and sexuality, including Wicca and the Christian Heritage: Ritual, Sex, and Magic.

Key Words:

Violence: The different forms of Wicca has taken violence and has either reclaimed it or resisted against it and in some cases, would even use violence to their advantage.

Empowerment: Pearson talks about the different ways many women feel empowered because they would reclaim a lot of the violence against them. There are also cases that women feel empowered because they choose to stray away from the violence and not be a part of it.

Quotes:

“Feminist witchcraft is usually referred to as ‘witchcraft’ rather than ‘Wicca’, with the exception of the Dianic tradition which is explicitly Wiccan. The term ‘witchcraft’ is used to describe a religious practice based upon the female witch becoming empowered through interaction with the Goddess as divine counterpart of the witch, an empowerment which is sought in order to provide personal liberation for the individual woman and thus sustain women in their struggle against patriarchy.” (Pearson 148).

“…people today actively want to be defined as witches, attracted by the power of mystery and the seductive allure of secret acts and magical spells. But more often than not, such empowerment seeks to deny the violence inherent in ideas about witchcraft and witches in the early modern period, perhaps partly as a means of removing ‘the witch’ from the of the persecutions…” (Pearson 153).

“As a result, Wiccans own the violence implicit in the witch but, not perceiving themselves as oppressed people, tend not to engage much with the violence done to the witch, Feminist witchcraft, on the other hand, focuses on the violence done to the witch, denies the violence done by the witch, and in doing so denies her her power whilst still claiming her as a symbol of empowerment, albeit one undermined by victimhood.” (Pearson 156).

Value:

This article talks about the conflicting ideals and beliefs from different sides of Wicca and witchcraft. It shows the different ways that many women feel empowered through witchcraft and Wicca and how they clash. Pearson tells us ways in which violence is taken from the different beliefs and traditions and the way that people feel empowered by it. This gives a whole new insight on empowerment and how it can be different within Wicca and witchcraft, and how it can oftentimes become controversial.

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