Monsters, Sorcerers, and Witches of Northwestern Europe: The Medieval and Early Modern Construction of Otherness in Literature for Popular Audiences

Abstract / Presentazione del progetto:

Led by four Italian universities, the project probes how late-medieval and early-modern Northwestern Europe used “preternatural” phenomena—monstrous births, illicit magic and witchcraft—to define and exclude social outsiders. Drawing on non-canonical sources (ballads, broadsheets, pamphlets, sermons, manuals) from British, Low-German and Scandinavian lands, it tracks the flow of elite theological and legal ideas into popular culture and the repression, especially of women, that followed. Outputs combine classic scholarship (monographs, critical editions) with two open digital corpora of sermons and popular prints, fully tagged and transcribed, to reveal how fear, doctrine and law shaped collective attitudes toward otherness. The study ultimately maps the cultural mechanics of marginality.

Obiettivi del progetto

Project probes late-medieval/early-modern popular texts to show how preternatural motifs (monstrous births, witchcraft, magic) shaped otherness and legitimated exclusion on moral, religious, gender and racial grounds, clarifying ties between norm, natural order and their breach. Editing, tagging and digitally releasing a trove of little-known ballads, broadsheets, sermons and prints, it places them in full historical-linguistic context and provides tools for comparative research. Findings disseminate through monographs, articles, critical editions, itinerant conferences, PhD and teacher courses. Two inclusive, open-access hypertext corpora, built with CNR-Pisa and hosted on CLARIN, will remain expandable for scholars and educators, boosting critical reading and civic skills.

Durata prevista del progetto:

•  10/2023 - 02/2026

Settori ERC di riferimento:

• SH5_3 Philology; text and image studies
• SH5_12 Computational modelling and digitisation in the cultural sphere
• SH6_13 Gender history, cultural history, history of collective identities and memories, history of religions

Responsabile / coordinatore scientifico:

• Luca Baratta / PA / Università di Siena / luca.baratta(AT)unisi.it

Collaboratori / gruppo di ricerca:

• Letizia Vezzosi / PO / GERM-01/ A
• Laura Poggesi /assegnista / GERM-01 / A

Altri partner del progetto:

• Carla Riviello / PA / Università di Roma 3 / carla.riviello(AT)uniroma3.it

Link al sito del progetto:

• https://sites.google.com/view/monsterswitches/home