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Not everyone believes in witches: in Siberia, after all, locals blame misdeeds on ghosts, and the Irish have fairies. But for those who do, witchcraft can be incredibly threatening\u2014and an accusation of witchcraft can be a powerful tool to control people and entire societies. To get you into the Halloween spirit, we\u2019re revisiting our interview with one of the world\u2019s foremost experts on witchcraft, the historian Ronald Hutton.

Go beyond the episode:

• Ronald Hutton\u2019s The Witch
• For the flip side of witchcraft, watch Ronald Hutton\u2019s dramatic documentary about the good ones\u2014A Very British Witchcraft, about the founder of modern Wicca
• Frances F. Denny\u2019s exhibition \u201cMajor Arcana: Witches in America,\u201d on view at the ClampArt gallery in New York, explores the contemporary idea of witches through portraits of those who identify as such. One of Denny\u2019s foremothers was accused of witchcraft in 1674, and 20 years later another of her ancestors presided as a judge in the Salem Witch Trials.
• And for some spooky Halloween viewing, watch The Witch, our host\u2019s favorite movie about witches\u2014featured on Vulture\u2019s list of top 15 witch movies, if you\u2019re dying for more

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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Have suggestions for projects you\u2019d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Music featured from Master Toad (\u201cDreadful Mansion\u201d) and 8bit Betty (\u201cSpooky Loop\u201d), courtesy of the Free Music Archive. Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman.

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