Lu Ann Homza, "Village Infernos and Witches' Advocates: Witch-hunting in Navarre, 1608-1614" (Pennsylvania State UP, 2022)
b"Today we talk to Lu Ann Homza about her new book,\\xa0Village Infernos and Witches' Advocates: Witch-Hunting in Navarre, 1608-1614\\xa0(Penn State Press, 2022).\\xa0This book revises what we thought we knew about one of the most famous witch hunts in European history. Between 1608 and 1614, thousands of witchcraft accusations were leveled against men, women, and children in the northern Spanish kingdom of Navarre. The Inquisition intervened quickly but incompetently, and the denunciations continued to accelerate. As the phenomenon spread, children began to play a crucial role. Not only were they reportedly victims of the witches\\u2019 harmful magic, but hundreds of them also insisted that witches were taking them to the Devil\\u2019s gatherings against their will.\\nPresenting important archival discoveries, Lu Ann Homza restores the perspectives of illiterate, Basque-speaking individuals to the history of this shocking event and demonstrates what could happen when the Spanish Inquisition tried to take charge of a liminal space. Because the Spanish Inquisition was the body putting those accused of witchcraft on trial, modern scholars have depended upon Inquisition sources for their research. Homza\\u2019s groundbreaking book combines new readings of the Inquisitional evidence with fresh archival finds from non-Inquisitional sources, including local secular and religious courts, and from notarial and census records.\\nExpanding our understanding of this witch hunt as well as the history of children, community norms, and legal expertise in early modern Europe,\\xa0Village Infernos and Witches\\u2019 Advocates\\xa0is required reading for students and scholars of the Spanish Inquisition and the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe.\\nJana Byars\\xa0is the Academic Director of Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law"