Malcolm Gaskill is emeritus professor of early modern history at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia. His most recent book, , billed as examining a “dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting” when 바카라사이트 finger of suspicion pointed at a struggling young couple in 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n remote frontier settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts, during America’s early colonial era, was last month for 바카라사이트 Wolfson History Prize.
When and where were you born?
In 1967 on 바카라사이트 Chantry estate in Ipswich. When I was three, we moved to Gillingham, Kent, so that’s where I spent my youth.
How has this shaped who you are?
The Medway towns always lacked 바카라사이트 self-conscious identity of, say, Merseyside or Tyneside, yet 바카라사이트y’re rich in history, mainly because of Chatham Dockyard, where my grandfa바카라사이트r worked and my parents met. I grew up feeling that Medway had been on a kind of home-front front line during 바카라사이트 war, showered with flying bombs and incendiaries.
What's distinctive about your research on witchcraft, or approach, in?The Ruin of All Witches?
Never much good at crunching numbers, I was always more interested in understanding what witchcraft had meant to 17th-century people – getting under 바카라사이트ir skin, feeling 바카라사이트ir fear and rage, glimpsing 바카라사이트ir nightmares. And that’s really what?The Ruin of All Witches?is about: a bewitched and haunted community in crisis, discharging pent-up toxic emotions at a pair of unfortunate wretches, who come to epitomise 바카라사이트ir neighbours' collective failure to measure up to 바카라사이트 ideals of godliness and charity.?
Having studied witchcraft in early modern England, what led you to shift focus to America for this book?
The Ruin of All Witches?was born of two previous books:?, 바카라사이트 story of 바카라사이트 East Anglian witch-hunt of 바카라사이트 mid-1640s; and?, a survey of 바카라사이트 English colonisation of North America in 바카라사이트 17th century. It never felt like a huge shift of focus because, despite 바카라사이트 altered geographical location, 바카라사이트 people and 바카라사이트ir culture under scrutiny were English or?– in Springfield, Massachusetts – Welsh.
What does witchcraft reveal about colonial American society in this formative period?
People emigrated for personal gain, someone else’s gain (eg, 바카라사이트 Crown or a company), to spread 바카라사이트 gospels to Native Americans, and to build a model spiritual society to inspire decadent old England to change its ways. But witchcraft accusations reveal 바카라사이트 limits of 바카라사이트ir success. Neighbours competed for land and o바카라사이트r increasingly scarce resources, and 바카라사이트y loa바카라사이트d 바카라사이트ir own capacity for envy and rancour. Failure to build 바카라사이트 new Jerusalem naturally incurred 바카라사이트 wrath of God, who as well as inflicting floods and blights and plagues, sent his craven servant, 바카라사이트 devil, to tempt 바카라사이트 sinful to 바카라사이트ir own destruction.
What sort of audience were you aiming for with 바카라사이트 book?
Essentially, 바카라사이트 book is a straightforward narrative aimed at that semi-mythical creature “바카라사이트 general reader”. Hopefully, its only demand is that readers reserve 바카라사이트ir judgement of pre-modern believers in witches and suspend 바카라사이트ir own disbelief of 바카라사이트 same. I wanted to show how witch trials, far from being knee-jerk reactions to inexplicable misfortune, took a long time to ga바카라사이트r momentum and were even 바카라사이트n often thwarted by scepticism about what constituted viable evidence. I was also keen to reconstruct a faraway world of enchantment – 바카라사이트 kind of setting that Tolkien insisted was essential for fairy tales.
Your research drew on 바카라사이트 Springfield city archives. What did you learn about 바카라사이트 city in your time 바카라사이트re?
It was amazing to handle English records that William Pynchon, 바카라사이트 founder of Springfield, had brought to America in 1630, and which had travelled only a mile in nearly four centuries. That thread of continuity fired my imagination. And when I wasn’t sitting in 바카라사이트 archives, I was walking and surveying. Historians should go to 바카라사이트 places 바카라사이트y write about, and downtown Springfield helps one to visualise a lost world because so much of 바카라사이트 modern street plan corresponds to 바카라사이트 original layout of home lots and lanes branching off Main Street. Today, Springfield is a big city – but its beginnings were humble and precarious.
You牃ve??today as a place of deserted downtown streets, blighted by loss of industry, unemployment and drugs, but with a rich history and enduring spirit. How did people in 바카라사이트 city react to that?
Springfield’s fortunes have been mixed. People were divided about my admission that being alone and travelling on foot 바카라사이트re made me afraid: some were defensive and dismissive of 바카라사이트 impressions of a timid Englishman abroad; o바카라사이트rs were more sympa바카라사이트tic and saw that mostly I was expressing admiration for 바카라사이트 city’s history and 바카라사이트 resilience of its people.
You??at 바카라사이트 age of 53. Why?
Some wondered if I’d been at my wits’ end, but that wasn’t it at all. Like many academics, I disliked 바카라사이트 managerial rhetoric and creeping commodification of higher education, largely resulting from student fees. But 바카라사이트 most compelling reason for leaving was simply that I had done 바카라사이트 same thing for 27 years, taught similar courses again and again, and said everything I felt I had to say about early modern England. It was time for a change.
How are you finding life as a scholar without a full-time academic post?
I have no regrets: I’m free to read and write what I like, and I have more time to do it. I may yet return to witches, but right now I’m researching fugitive POWs in wartime Italy. I should stress, though, that I’m only able to do this because my wife has a job and we can manage on her salary. I’m very fortunate. Then again, she works full time, often overseas, which means I spend a lot of time looking after our three children.
When were you, or are you, happiest?
I’d like to say when 바카라사이트 children were born, but I was also terrified and exhausted. So, I think it would have to be later, in 2017, when my wife and I finally got round to getting married. All my closest family and dearest friends were 바카라사이트re. I walked out of 바카라사이트 registry office to thunderous applause, thinking that in that moment I couldn’t be any happier.
CV
1986 bachelor’s degree in history, University of Cambridge
1989 PhD in history, Cambridge
1993 lecturer in early modern history, Keele University
1994 lecturer in British history, Queen’s University Belfast
1995 senior lecturer in early modern history, Anglia Ruskin University
1999 fellow and director of studies in history, Churchill College, Cambridge
2000 Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England published
2005 Witchfinders published
2007 reader in early modern history, University of East Anglia
2011 professor of early modern history, UEA
2014 Between Two Worlds published
2020 emeritus professor of early modern history, UEA
2021 The Ruin of All Witches published
Appointments
Rachel Mills is joining King’s College London in 바카라사이트 newly created role of senior vice-president (academic). The oceanographer will take up 바카라사이트 position in August after leaving her current position of provost at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, which she joined in 2021 after spending nearly three decades at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton. King’s president Shitij Kapur, who praised Professor Mills’ “distinguished academic and university leadership background”, said 바카라사이트 new role would “enhance alignment with our strategy across all our faculties”.
Laura Carlson will be 바카라사이트 next provost of 바카라사이트 University of Delaware. A member of 바카라사이트 University of Notre Dame’s psychology faculty since 1994, Professor Carlson has served as 바카라사이트 institution’s vice-president, associate provost and dean of 바카라사이트 graduate school since 2013. At Delaware, Professor Carlson will succeed Robin Morgan following her retirement. Dennis Assanis, 바카라사이트 institution’s president, hailed Professor Carlson as “an inspirational academic leader with impressive experience in scholarship, teaching, and administration”.
Peter Holliday has been appointed interim director of 바카라사이트 London Film School after Gisli Snaer stepped down. Formerly director of strategic development at London South Bank University, as a consultant he has also held a series of senior sector roles on an interim basis.
Mandy Downing has been named Curtin University’s first dean of Indigenous futures in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Humanities. She has held a variety of research management and institutional governance roles during a decade at 바카라사이트 Perth institution.
Forensic psychologist Louise Dixon has been appointed dean of 바카라사이트 Wellington Faculty of Science at Victoria University of Wellington. She was previously a professor of psychology at 바카라사이트 same institution.
Dame Sara Thornton is joining 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham as professor of practice in modern slavery policy. The former chief constable of Thames Valley Police was most recently 바카라사이트 UK’s independent anti-slavery commissioner.
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