Haunted Trentino. Towards a History of Witchcraft in the Principality and Diocese of Trento (16th–18th Centuries)
In recent decades, witchcraft studies have increasingly adopted complex and multidisciplinary approaches, integrating perspectives from gender studies, cultural anthropology, and sociology. Since the 1970s, the relationship between persecution and female identity has been widely investigated, thanks in part to the theoretical contributions of René Girard and Erving Goffman. From the late 1990s onwards, a new phase of research has focused on inquisitorial sources, reconstructing the mechanisms of repression and the cultural processes that shaped the figure of the witch.
This project contributes to this evolving field by offering a renewed perspective on the material culture of women accused of witchcraft in the Trentino region between the 16th and 18th centuries. By examining inventories, indexes, and trial records, the project explores the role of objects—ritual instruments, amulets, everyday items—not only as evidence in trials but as indicators of alternative belief systems, practices, and knowledge. This analysis is complemented by a study of representations of the witches’ Sabbath in local sources, comparing the belief systems of the accused women with those of the judges and inquisitors.
The aim is to provide a critical re-reading of witchcraft persecutions in the Alpine context, shedding light on the cultural and material dynamics that shaped the social construction of witchcraft in the early modern period.
Partners
- INQUIRE (International Center For Research For Inquisitions- Università di Bologna)
- El Museo Canario
- Museo etnografico Trentino San Michele
- Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme
- Comune di Brentonico
