Witch Power: Hexing the Patriarchy with Feminist Magic

When most people hear the word 'witch', they immediately think of crones conspiring over a cauldron, a force of dark and vindictive power. But to hundreds of thousands across the world, being a witch is a living, everyday reality, much more varied than the fairytale image.

Witch Power follows Emma Quilty - herself a witch and an anthropologist - on an immersive journey into contemporary witchcraft, from Witchcamp retreats to 'red tent' menstrual events, Voodoo priestesses running ghost tours from their vans to TikTokers casting hexes on a viral scale.

Attentive to the history of witchcraft, she reveals the role power plays in how the figure of the witch has changed over time to suit the ever-present need to control and demonize women. Because to be a witch is to live in defiance of society's expectations and rules.

But while the witch is always castigated as a threat, Quilty finds that the witch is never alone: the witch is a survivor and a symbol of resistance. Ultimately, Witch Power is a provocation and an invitation to readers to experience with the author what it means to embrace witchiness and what witchy feminism could bring to your life.

Author: Emma Quilty
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 09/15/2025
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 5.71h x 8.74w x 0.84d
ISBN: 9781509564460