How to kill a witch

Join us for a discussion with the 'Witches of Scotland' podcasters Dr Claire Mitchell, KC, and Dr Zoe Venditozzi as they discuss their book, 'How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy'.

Women in Scotland in the 1500s faced the very real threat of witch trial. Witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years, with more than 4,000 accused of witchcraft. The fate for the accused included strangulation, burning, or some other forms of grizzly excecution.

This particularly rampant persecution of women was unique to Scotland. In order to understand why this happened here, Dr Claire Mitchell, KC, and Dr Zoe Venditozzi have researched the entire process, from identification to accusation, torture to, confession, execution and beyond. With characteristically sharp wit and a sense of outrage, they attempt to inhabit the minds of the persecutors, to reveal why the Patriarchy went to such extraordinary lengths to silence women, and how this legally sanctioned victimisation proliferated in Scotland and around the world.

About the speakers

Leading human rights lawyer Claire Mitchell, KC, and writer, Zoe Venditozzi formed the 'Witches of Scotland' campaign with the aim of shining a light on the historic injustice of the Witch Trials. As a result, on International Women's Day, 2022, the First Minister of Scotland issued a formal state apology - the first time in 300 years there had been any formal recognition of those who were most wrongly accused.

In 2022, Claire and Zoe were made Doctors of Laws by the University of Dundee in 2022 in recognition of their work.