Tituba and the Fear That Made a Witch

WE'RE BACK! In the first episode of our second season, we trace the story of Tituba, an enslaved Indigenous woman and the first person accused of witchcraft in 1692. With the help of historian Matt Alschbach, we examine her story within the broader context of seventeenth-century folk medicine, race, and Puritan theology, exploring how fear breeds suspicion, and how suspicion so often settles on the margins.

• If you’re interested in joining host Greg Houle for his live online course, The Salem Witch Trials: Fear, Myth & Meaning, you can register here.

• You can also explore Greg Houle’s historical novel, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.