the hedge witch a threadneedle novella cari thomas

There are countries where religion, tradition and the law still persecute women for speaking out, speaking up, or simply, for being women.”

And this is only talking about the Western world. “We’ve seen over the last few years with the #MeToo movement, with violence against women, with the resurgence of debate around abortion laws, and ongoing workplace disparities just how structural inequality still leaves women without power. “As I was growing up, it was normal for me to see women shamed for the way they looked or behaved, called out for their power, discussed, dissected and categorised with the same polarising forces that existed during the witch hunts where a woman wasn’t allowed to be complex, but either good and compliant or bad and wicked,” Cari explained.

We know that freethinking women were often accused of witchcraft and executed for simply daring to speak their minds, and nowadays we see more subtle ways our patriarchal society has of keeping women in check. It provides an opportunity to confront them in all their complexity and uncomfortable brutality including the treatment, torture and sexual violence inflicted on the suspects.” “Most importantly, it opens the door to reframing how we see the hunts. It’s a mark of respect to those whose lives were destroyed by the accusation of witchcraft,” Cari says. “Sturgeon’s apology is an important moment of recognition.

It was an important moment for womankind, because witch hunts are largely treated as an entertaining part of European history, a fun footnote, rather than as an horrific mass femicide. Back in March, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon issued an apology for the injustice of the Scottish witch hunts and to the thousands that were killed for any kind of nonconformity.

The hedge witch a threadneedle novella cari thomas