Caliban and the Witch

Synopsis

'A groundbreaking work . . . Federici has become a crucial figure for . . . a new generation of feminists' Rachel Kushner, author of The Mars Room

A cult classic since its publication in the early years of this century, Caliban and the Witch is Silvia Federici's history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages through the European witch-hunts, the rise of scientific rationalism and the colonisation of the Americas, it gives a panoramic account of the often horrific violence with which the unruly human material of pre-capitalist societies was transformed into a set of predictable and controllable mechanisms. It Is a study of indigenous traditions crushed, of the enclosure of women's reproductive powers within the nuclear family, and of how our modern world was forged in blood.


'Rewarding . . . allows us to better understand the intimate relationship between modern patriarchy, the rise of the nation state and the transition from feudalism to capitalism' Guardian

Summary

Chapter 1: To Cast Out Demons

* Summary: Explores the historical witch hunts in Europe as a means to control women, encode gender roles, and suppress popular beliefs.
* Real Example: Matheus Delicado in Portugal warns against "demonic" female practices related to childbirth and healing.

Chapter 2: Girls' Demons and Witches

* Summary: Discusses the construction of the witch as a figure responsible for all ills befalling women, from menstruation to childbirth complications.
* Real Example: The Malleus Maleficarum, a guide for witch hunters, claims that witchcraft is caused by women's "inconstant nature" and their desire to "destroy and kill their children."

Chapter 3: Making Witches

* Summary: Examines the role of the patriarchal legal system and the concept of evidence in shaping the witch craze.
* Real Example: The use of the "pricking test" to identify witches, where pins were inserted into the body to locate insensitive areas supposedly due to demonic influence.

Chapter 4: Lived Bodies and Learned Texts

* Summary: Highlights the experiential and embodied aspects of witchcraft, as well as the influence of science and popular culture on perceptions of the witch.
* Real Example: The case of Anna Bennen, a German mystic who was accused of witchcraft based on her behavior and beliefs.

Chapter 5: Witchcraft and Poverty

* Summary: Explores the economic and social factors that contributed to the witch hunts, particularly the persecution of women who were poor or marginalized.
* Real Example: The arrest and execution of Mary Good in Salem, Massachusetts, who was accused of witchcraft due to her poverty and status as an outsider.

Chapter 6: Primitivism and the Primitive

* Summary: Discusses the connection between the witch hunts and the emerging discourse of primitivism, which cast women as less civilized and closer to nature.
* Real Example: The use of images of witches as representations of primitive, uncivilized behavior.

Chapter 7: The Decline of Witchcraft

* Summary: Explores the factors that led to the decline of the witch craze, including the rise of rationalism, the skepticism of the Enlightenment, and the growth of capitalism.
* Real Example: The repeal of witchcraft laws in England in 1736, which marked a significant shift in attitudes toward witchcraft.

Chapter 8: Caliban's Legacy

* Summary: Discusses the legacy of the witch hunts in modern politics, culture, and feminist thought.
* Real Example: The use of the term "witch" as a slur against women in contemporary society.