Hexen vor Gericht! Krisen, Angst und Massenmedien vor 1800

Crop failures, epidemics, inheritance disputes, infant mortality, religious fears and rumours spread by the media – the witch trials of the early modern period never arose from a single cause, but from a complex interplay of social crises and individual circumstances.

In his lecture at the Gotha Research Centre, historian Kai Lehmann demonstrates how fear could turn into suspicion, suspicion into accusation, and accusation into destruction – and what role pamphlets, sermons and rumours played in this process.

The lecture focuses on the specific lived experiences, relationships and fates of those affected. At the same time, Lehmann poses uncomfortable questions about religious interpretations of guilt and scapegoating mechanisms – questions that extend far beyond the early modern period. The lecture combines historical research with a topic of pressing contemporary relevance: how do societies deal with fear, crisis and the search for culprits?

Dr Kai Lehmann is a historian and director of the museums within the Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Cultural Association. He heads the Schoss Wilhelmsburg Museum in Schmalkalden, as well as the “Neue Hütte” Technical Museum and the ‘Finstertal’ visitor mine. His latest book ‘Witches on Trial! Crises, Fear and the Mass Media before 1800. Witch Trials in Germany’ has been published by Herder Verlag.