H.C. Erik Midelfort has carved out a reputation for innovative work on early modern German history; with a particular focus on the social history of ideas and religion. This collection pulls together some of his best work on the related subjects of witchcraft; the history of madness and psychology; demonology; exorcism; and the social history of religious change in early modern Europe. Several of the pieces reprinted here constitute reviews of recent scholarly literature on their topics; while others offer sharp departures from conventional wisdom. A critique of Michel Foucault’s view of the history of madness proved both stimulating but irritating to Foucault’s most faithful readers; so it is reprinted here along with a short retrospective comment by the author. Another focus of this collection is the social history of the Holy Roman Empire; where towns; peasants; and noble families developed different perceptions of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations and of the options the religious revolutions of the sixteenth century offered. Finally; this collection also brings together articles which show how Freudian psychoanalysis and academic sociology have filtered and interpreted the history of early modern Germany.
#3770174 in Books Palgrave Macmillan 2011-03-23 2011-04-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .56 x 5.50l; 1.00 #File Name: 1403986835235 pages
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