W.I.T.C.H. and Witchcraft in radical feminist activism
Description
In this paper, I explore the ways in which the radical feminist activist group W.I.T.C.H. (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) uses the figure of the witch to establish a collective identity as a social movement by using the theoretical framework of identity work. I first draw on the existing scholarship surrounding the history of witchcraft, witch persecution, and radical feminism, and I then apply this history in conjunction with identity work theory to analyze the public persona of the recently revived W.I.T.C.H., specifically the group that brought this movement back: W.I.T.C.H. PDX. By looking at the strategies that W.I.T.C.H. employs in their protest, social media presence, website, and interviews, I examine how W.I.T.C.H. has historically and currently built a collective identity despite being a loosely-connected network of local groups.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2018
Agent
- Author (aut): Schweigert, Laisa
- Thesis advisor (ths): Fahs, Breanne
- Committee member: Swank, Eric
- Committee member: Kirsch, Sharon J.
- Publisher (pbl): Arizona State University