Abstract
This paper discusses the study of history as a central part of the humanistic tradition, naturally oriented toward a multicultural and interdisciplinary analysis and understanding of reality, which is also the core of liberal arts education. This topic is treated by taking the historical problem of witchcraft (both in terms of beliefs and persecution) as a case study, since it is a topic of cultural history which is interdisciplinary and multicultural by nature. Witchcraft, in fact, with its social implications, needs an interdisciplinary as well as a historical-comparative approach to be understood; it also has an eminently “multicultural” nature, being widespread in every geographical area from the past to the present; finally, witchcraft, as a historical issue, is linked to humanistic culture and the Renaissance since, at least in Western Europe, witchcraft beliefs began to spread precisely in the 15th century, the age of Humanism. Therefore, the study of history and, within it, witchcraft as a case study, seem to be themes intimately linked to humanistic education and capable of fostering an understanding of the past as well as a reflection on the complexities of the present.
Presenters
Fabrizio ContiAdjunct Employee Professor of History, Department of History and Humanities, John Cabot University, Roma, Italy
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Past and Present in the Humanistic Education
KEYWORDS
Humanism, History, Witchcraft Studies, Interdisciplinarity, Liberal Arts Education
