The History of Witchcraft and Feminism

The witch is a deeply important and appealing figure, and her story is more relevant than ever. Witches weren’t evil, and they certainly didn’t wear pointy black hats. Instead, society has long used the idea of the witch as a dumping ground for everything it fears or hates in women. Witches are old—too old to be sexy, too old to bear children—and even today, we stigmatise older women as “problematic” or “ugly”. Exploring the true history of witches reveals much about ourselves, how we got here, and how we can change. But who hunted witches? Surprisingly, it wasn’t mostly men. It was often younger women, pressured by patriarchal systems to blame older women in exchange for temporary favour—favour that disappeared as they aged. This history still echoes today, as generational divides between women persist and even worsen. Learning about witches reminds us of the importance of solidarity between generations—why we must stand together to break free from these old patterns. Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat! Follow us on IG @seedtalks Speaker Bio: Diane Purkiss is Professor of English at the University of Oxford, and a fellow of Keble College. She has published on witchcraft, fairies, and also on the English Civil War, the occasion of England's biggest witchhunt. She has been in more than a dozen television documentaries; she even has an IMdb entry and a Wikipedia page… She has spoken to general audiences at numerous literary festivals and to many local history societies. This talk is 16+  Testimonials from our guests Truly riveting talks, always enjoy these - a great way to spend an evening with some pals. Already looking forward to the next one. - Alexander P  Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn’t recommend these enough! 5 star. - Owen S Been to a few talks and all have been super interesting. An enjoyable evening to go to either alone or with friends. The talks make for stimulating conversation. Highly recommend! - Daisy J Specific set times are only made available on the day of the event, please check the venue’s website page for the most up to date information. This is a seated event and is allocated on a first come first serve basis. If you have any specific seating requirements, please let a member of staff know on the night and they will be happy to help. If you require a carer or personal assistant, this person can come in for free without a ticket. So long as you have a ticket for yourself, and you can provide proof of disability when you arrive. See a list of accepted forms of proof on the venue’s Visit page. No prior reservation required. Refunds are not available for this event; you are welcome to re-sell tickets yourself on third party sites like TicketSwap.com All regular venue policies apply to this event.