THE LONG SHADOW OF THE INQUISITION: WITCHCRAFT, GENDER VIOLENCE AND NEWSPAPERS IN SPAIN IN THE XIX AND XX CENTURIES

Abstract

In the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth the Spanish press published informations about violence and lynchings perpetrated against alleged witches in towns and cities of Spain. This article collects and analyzes several of these reports. And argues that the root of this violence against older and poor women is related to the misogyny and the repression against witchcraft that in previous centuries had imposed the Inquisition.

Keywords

• witchcraft
• Inquisition
• violence
• journalism
• lynching