The Salem witch trials may be the first thing that comes to many peoples’ minds if asked to share their thoughts about the idea of witchcraft and the legal system. Of course, like other popular occult-adjacent legal moments in American history, such the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and the case of the West Memphis three, the ‘witches’ of Salem, Massachusetts had nearly nothing to do with the actual occult, and everything to do with the prejudices of those in positions of legal power. Much has been done over the past few decades to rectify this history and uplift witchcraft in the popular imagination, up to and including freeing the previously-incarcerated, an incredible feat and one that should be celebrated. By virtue of these actions, however, there’s been an oppositional push to completely separate the occult from legal narratives – a move that is both ahistorical and, frankly, dangerous. This presentation will compile a short, imperfect history of actual occult crimes, covering a range of circumstances, belief systems, motivations and the like, from the sacrificial rites of Adolfo Constanzo to the recent spate of Mormon family annihilations in the American west – along with speculations on their larger implications for our community, as well as culture at large.
 
About the Presenter:
Meredith Graves (she/they) is a multimedia artist and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has spanned disciplines and genres ranging from experimental hardcore to material archaeology, broadcast television to occultural economics, all supported by her personal magical practice of over 20 years. Formerly the anchor of MTV News and an Outreach Director at Kickstarter, Graves is currently eschewing corporate employment in favor of a full-time art practice focused on extending her research into the magical orders and fashions of the 1890s, for which she’ll be attending various residencies and retreats in the coming year.
 
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