This seems rather likely as well given that the women in question often stood to inherit or gain from an economic standpoint and therefore became threats to the male-dominated society. If the orderly transfer of property and wealth from father to son was threatened by a female, the men in the society could use witchcraft accusations against the woman who would otherwise threaten the male-dominated chain of inheritance. Many other examples of Puritan customs and mores are cited as well by Karlsen as sources of contention between the sexes as well as the accused and the accusers. It is little wonder why so many women, willing to question the cultural and social structures in a very benign way, were made to feel the wrath of the Puritan male power structure.
From an academic standpoint, Karlsen's work is quite seminal in helping to prove that there is still much room for study and analysis within the historical period and events surrounding the witch trials. It is interesting that, after over 300 years have gone by, questions of gender roles and threats to the status quo have not been included within the study of the witch trials themselves. It is an interesting testament to the fact that even as the Puritan society was male-dominated, so has been the study of this time period, at least from a women's studies perspective. Karlsen's work is an excellent primer for people looking for a rather broad, unconventional take on these historical events and helps to show scholars and historians that even after so many centuries, it is possible to begin to understand events within their contexts as products of gender bias and other less conventionally studied dynamics. The author's work also helps to shed light on women's roles within society and gives a voice to an alternative set of explanations that help to highlight the cultural and social hierarchies of the day.
From a professional...
It also represents an excellent window with which to view the witch trials and the threats to society that many of the accused represented. Karlsen takes great care in setting up her arguments and supporting them with factual information. It is not often that an author takes as much care to help the reader understand the underlying social and cultural contexts as well as Karlsen does in her book. It is relatively rare that an author can, so convincingly, give such a refreshing and insightful take on a time period that is traditionally thought of as rather dry and well-studied. From a reader's standpoint, the book was relatively hard to follow. It is sometimes difficult to completely picture or grasp the stories because they are not laid out as cohesive stories. Karlsen's work, while extremely comprehensive and possibly groundbreaking, reads more like a reference book than a work of historical non-fiction.
The book itself, which relatively hard to get through, does represent a landmark idea that the witch trials and accusations of witchcraft had more to do with societal turbulence and questioning of the social structure than the hysteria or religious fervor that often followed the Puritan settlements during this time period. The work is also a reflection of our own society in a way, helping to demonstrate that threatening the status quo often leads to cultural backlash in any historical period. Karlsen's work helps to unlock many new doors within the academic study of this period and of witchcraft itself, while at the same time providing the reader with much valuable information and a comprehensive and intriguing look at the male-dominated Puritan society.
References
Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial America. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., (1987).
