Verkkoin this comprehensive analysis, we will explore the salem witch trials from a historian‘s perspective, examining the religious, political, and social. Verkkothe pull of salem as a center of witchcraft brings in witches on pilgrimage from around the country, from many backgrounds and traditions. Verkkowithin this seemingly inexhaustible world of modern salem schol arship, one study holds a special place and continues to influence and shape the discussion of salem witchcraft. Verkkowitchcraft , sex, and the crisis of belief, a new explanation of early modern europe's obsession with witches, by a scholar of italian culture influenced by the new his.