Name: Witchcraft, Superstition and Rationality
SKU: 1-0364-5391-X
Availability: InStock

Witchcraft, Superstition and Rationality

Examining Harmful Practices and Cultural Beliefs in India

Edited By: Gireesh Kumar J, Naveen Suresh, Samantha Spence

£72.99

This book explores the impact of witchcraft-related violence in India, interrogating the intersection of gender, caste, and power. It reveals how superstition is weaponized as a tool of oppression and examines anti-superstition laws, activism, and the need for cultural change.

This book is a critical exploration of the enduring impact of superstition and witchcraft-related violence in contemporary India. This interdisciplinary volume interrogates the intersection of…

This book is a critical exploration of the enduring impact of superstition and witchcraft-related violence in contemporary India. This interdisciplinary volume interrogates the intersection of gender, caste, and power in the persistence of witchcraft accusations, ritual violence, and the weaponization of superstition. Through historical analysis, legal critique, and ethnographic insights, the book sheds light on the systemic marginalization of women and marginalized communities, revealing how superstition is both a tool of oppression and a mechanism of social control. With contributions from leading scholars, it examines the efficacy of anti-superstition laws, the role of grassroots activism, and the urgent need for cultural transformation. Grounded in rigorous research yet accessible in its approach, this book is essential reading for academics, policymakers, and activists committed to dismantling harmful traditions and advancing human rights in India’s evolving socio-legal landscape.

Dr Gireesh Kumar J is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Law at the Central University of Kerala, India. He also serves as Dean, Faculty of Law, and Chairman, P.G. Board of Studies in Law at the University of Calicut, India. With degrees in Economics and Law, and a postgraduate specialization in Constitutional and Administrative Law, he focuses on the human rights of disadvantaged groups, particularly persons with disabilities.

Naveen Suresh is a PhD scholar at the Central University of Kerala, focusing on the need for a unified Anti-Superstition Law in India. He holds an LLM in Constitutional Law and IPR and has contributed extensively to academic discourse on human rights, constitutionalism, and superstition-based violence.

Dr Samantha Spence is an Associate Professor of International Human Rights and Social Justice at the University of Staffordshire, UK. Her research focuses on gender-based violence, harmful traditional practices, and the legal and cultural dimensions of witchcraft accusations.

Shraddha Rajput, Arjun Philip George, Bhaswati Goswami, Susmit Isfaq, Nokho N., Sezolu Nyekha, Saji Sivan S., Naveen Suresh, Samantha Spence, Agam Gupta, Shantanu Siuli, Meera Shahana H, Rabbiraj Chinnappan, Vedansh Sharma, Vedansh Sharma, Devinder Singh, Nibedita Hazarika, Shruti Dahiya, Shikha Vasishta