“The Sabbath or the Big Bastard,” by Francisco de Goya. National Prado Museum
Witches and sorceresses are recurring characters in classical ballets and great literary works. Traces of his passion for alchemy can be found in the works of Max Ernst and Lucio Fontana, and Miró's paintings reveal his interest in astrology, as was evident in the exhibition “The Occult” held at the Thyssen Museum this summer and commemorated a course followed at UNED. But this hidden side, historically pursued by institutionalized religions, has historically been viewed with distance and disdain by the academic world. A situation that is changing. As interest in this parallel story grows worldwide, prestigious universities are rushing to include it in their curriculum. The University of Amsterdam offers a specialization in Western esotericism and the Complutense of Madrid teaches magic and religion. The University of Exeter in England announces a master's degree program for its next degree program called Magic and Occult Sciences, which aims to explore the history of magic in Greece and Rome, as well as the hidden texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by immersing yourself in the history of witchcraft and analysis of the presence of magic in literature and folklore.”
A real novelty in the United Kingdom, they say, which happens in an ideal place because “this institution has a large number of experts in the history of magic,” explains Emily Selove, responsible for the new master's degree program affiliated with the Institute of Magic. Arabic and Islamic Studies, of which she is an associate professor. It is perhaps no coincidence that JK Rowling herself, author of the Harry Potter saga, studied at this institution and that Exeter was the site of the last witch executions in England at the end of the 17th century. Are we faced with trying to restore the memory of these women? “One of the most interesting aspects of studying magic is that it allows us to look at historical texts with new eyes and rediscover marginalized voices,” says Selove.
Miguel Palomo, a professor at Complutense and coordinator of the Religious Studies program, which teaches the subject of magic and religion, acknowledges that there is interest in some redress, but also confusion about what is meant by “witches.” Those who risked dying at the stake included healers and alchemists, “but those who were persecuted were predominantly religious women and men accused of heresy,” says this professor. “A paradigmatic case would be that of María de Bohórquez in the 16th century, who was sentenced to death at the stake in her youth.” The court granted her clemency after she agreed to recite the Creed, not while alive not to be burned, but rather to be executed with the garrote and have her body burned. A staunch supporter of the Protestant Reformation, Bohórquez was not exactly proficient in magic, but was also proficient in Hebrew and Latin.
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