Hyman, Hannah

Of Post-Structuralism, Potions, and Patriarchy: An Examination of Millennial Feminist Witchcraft

My name is Hannah Hyman and I am a current junior at DePaul studying Political Science and Religious Studies. I have a deep love of political theory and almost always gain inspiration for my papers or projects through observing internet phenomena. With that in mind, the topic of witchcraft came quickly and naturally, especially given my involvement in progressive circles. I volunteer in politics, love to knit, and someday hope to become a professor of political theory.

Majors: Religious Studies and Political Science (conc. Law and Theory)

Junior, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Abstract

In this project, I explore online communities that many younger feminists are drawn to, and embrace, the title of “witch,” taking part in practices traditionally observed in pagan, Wicca or various occult traditions. I first explain the critiques that several mostly modern political theorists have of modern religion, particularly branches of Christianity: they interpret modern religions as making people passive and docile, stripping away the values of boldness, bravery and action. In contrast, witchcraft offers strength and bold action, many times in the form of microresistance. I next identify distrust of government and ideologies in both the 1970s and today as a key force that draws people into witchcraft circles, especially when intersecting with feminist movements, paralleling the witchcraft movement of the 1970s to today. Lastly, I analyze the beliefs and practices of three “ideal types” of witchcraft (Dianic Wicca, Heathens, and the WitchesVsPatriarchy subreddit), highlighting the ways in which their beliefs, practices, and structures have both democratic and undemocratic currents throughout them. In the conclusion, I discuss how witchcraft communities pose as a foil to religiously informed politics in the United States, providing a more democratic and explicitly progressive path.

Thesis Director: Katy Arnold, PhD

Department: Political Science

Faculty Reader: Lisa Poirier, PhD

Department: Religious Studies

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Project Poster

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VoiceThread Presentation