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Abstract

This dissertation investigates the social and economic impacts of globalisation on the ecofeminist outcomes found in the contemporary practice of witchcraft. Utilising interviews conducted with witchcraft practitioners, the works of witchcraft scholars themselves, and the lens provided by ecofeminism, this paper has found that the practices of witchcraft are traditionally conducive to ecofeminism. Its theology is sufficiently environmentally minded, empowering to women, and crucially acknowledges that these elements are interconnected. This is demonstrated through witchcraft’s assertion that both women and the environment have been devalued by the degradation of their divine nature, seen in its spiritual attempt to reverse this. However, witchcraft’s ability to fully entreat the equality of women and nature through such means has been significantly negatively impacted by the effects of globalisation. Through an accumulation of studies surrounding the evolution of occult marketplaces and academic works discussing the impact of international telecommunications on witchcraft communities, it is determinable that globalisation has the overall effect of commodifying the practices of witchcraft. With the further use of academic inquiries into the global impact of this according to an ecofeminist framework, this paper concludes that globalisation has induced witchcraft to cause unintentional harm to marginalised communities, women, and the environment.

Course: International Relations - MA - P2929FTD

Date Deposited: 2024-02-02

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14355.html