During the international conference held at the Medici Archive Project in September 2022 (entitled Beyond the Sabbath: Witchcraft and Its Stereotypes in Early Modern Europe), contributors examined witchcraft and witch hunts from a number of interdisciplinary fields of research. While the long-established antisocial stereotypes of witches were examined, new documentary material and theoretical perspectives underscored how the “fama di strega” played a protean role in early modern European societies. Aside from examining connections related to infamy, scapegoating, violence, sexuality, folklore, therapeutic magic, demonic possessions, and gender discrimination, conference speakers explored witchcraft in terms of diplomacy, history of emotions, religious syncretism, mental health practices, racial tensions, network analysis, anti-Renaissance theory, and public sphere impact. These new avenues of research have prompted Domizia Weber and Daniele Santarelli—conference organizers and co-editors of the volume—to expand the scope of this project, inviting paper proposals that address these themes and complement the already existing corpus of essays. The volume will be published with the Medici Archive Project Series with Harvey Miller/Brepols in 2024. To be considered, please send the following material by 1 August 2023 at education@medici.org: (1) full name, affiliation and email address; (2) paper title (15-word max); (3) abstract text (150-word max); and (4) short curriculum vitae (300-word max).
