Makes a compelling case for the Witch Hunt as key to the destruction of social solidarity and resistance to development of capitalism. Places women front and centre and redresses the weaknesses in Marx’s account. ( )

Fascinating and incredibly important book. Covers the history of the end of feudalism, the rise of capitalism, the rise of current patriarchal forms, colonialism, witch hunts and more. Makes it clear that capitalism was founded on the oppression of women and with massive resistance every step of the way. Shows the importance of reproductive control. Talks about the oppressive elements of philosophy from the time. Covers so much that it skips some historical detail but it doesn't matter. An essential book for correcting the male centred perspectives of today as well as linking social rebellion of now to the past. Read this if you're at all interested in feminism or anti-capitalism.

edit: i feel obliged to somewhat temper what i said above 18 months later. I've read fragments about problems with historiography in the book, particularly http://libcom.org/blog/witch-hunts-transition-capitalism-20122011 and reading bits and pieces people who've immersed themselves in the witchhunt literature have said. from what i understand, much of the problem is that a lot more information and research has come out in the last 30-40 years that gives a very different understanding of the political, sociological and legal aspects of it - see http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/feminist/gibbons_witch.html. the problem is this book focuses on older sources (and has the problem of not always citing properly) which means it uses some inaccurate information and has only a limited perspective simply because the information wasn't widely available or understood at the time the book was written (probably). as someone who's not read other witch hunt stuff i can't comment in detail and I've not seen a more comprehensive criticism, i just think it's important to note and to make sure you don't take all the history as gospel. that's not to smear the book and i still stand by it being a very interesting and important book politically and it's still full of useful history. just wanted to put up some new information ( )

A fantastic read that shows that the subjugation of women via the witch trial was part of a process of 'capitalismisation' that started with enclosures and continues via slavery and colonisation to the globalised world of today. ( )

harrowing ( )

Federici's thesis appears intriguing on the surface, and while the work can provide insight into her own philosophical perspectives relating to socialist feminism, the book does not contribute to historical scholarship on the witch trials.

Federici does have valuable socialist insight found in the work. She notes how a hierarchal system (feudalism, and later capitalism) dispossesed the European peasantry from the means of subsistence / production - the land. From this premise, one can further concieve of the intersections between Environmentalism, Socialism, Feminism, and - with the addition of discussions relating to colonization - Postcolonialism. Unfortunately, despite this solid premise for philosophical discussion, this volume did not explore these avenues. Rather, it attempted a historical analysis seeking to link the witch trials of early modern Europe with primitive accumulation.

Federici cites her sources throughout, however, she makes numerous historical errors that raise red flags for historians. Firstly, her analysis stretches from the middle ages to early modern Europe, including multiple countries, and then into colonial Latin America and colonial British America. This only allows for a very shallow analysis of any given period and region to discuss in less than 300 pages total. Secondly, she refers to Prima Noctis as fact (this pervasive legend is popularized by Braveheart, but is pure fiction), and uncritically references the discredited witch cult hypothesis. These major issues remove any credibility of the work for students of history.

Overall, Federici's ideas in this work have value for philosophical thinkers, but not for serious students of history. The tragedy is that this work presents itself as a historical overview and thesis, and so fails in its mission. ( )

Excellent read on the end of European feudalism and the war capitalism waged to subdue peasants. Like many, my education about the Middle Ages was very limited, and my impression was mostly that of a miserable, impoverished peasantry in virtual slavery to their feudal lords. Little did I know that peasants actually had power - and lots of it - in the twilight of feudalism. The disintegrating feudal relationship, along with the massive labor shortage caused by the Black Death, led to massive wars against feudal masters and skyrocketing wages for workers.

It is in this context that Federici describes the 'Age of the Whip' - the imposition of capitalist discipline on a resistant peasantry. In particular, she explores the evolution of a number of trends, including: the enclosure of the commons and the 'bloody' laws against vagabonds, the shift to a mechanical view of the body, and most especially the war on women in the form of popular misogyny and witch burnings. She does a great job of tying these strands together in a way that's elucidating and engaging. There were a few moments towards the end of the book where I had to remind myself of the big picture, and the final chapter on the witch hunt in the Americas was not meshed well with the rest of the book, but overall a wonderful and highly recommended book. ( )

El libro trata dar respuesta desde una perspectiva feminista a algunas preguntas inquietantes ¿Por qué una matanza como la caza de brujas que supuso el asesinato de centenares de miles de mujeres en Europa y América ha merecido tan poco interés por parte de quienes estudian la historia? ¿Qué puede explicar semejante campaña de terror contra las mujeres? ¿Por qué hubo tan poca respuesta por parte de los hombres a esta matanza de mujeres?

This is a really interesting text exploring women and the costs to women (the violence against women) inherent in shifts to capitalism, primarily in Europe (which we'll hit on later.) Federici is drawing together a LOT here, and in some cases, drawing together vast bodies of literature that don't speak very much to each other. In some cases, I was left wondering if her reach was too broad here, because I wasn't sure it all came together. At the beginning of the book, she discussed how, rather than focus on the titular Caliban, she was going to focus on the witch, but for me, the focus on European women overwhelmed the mentions of indigenous or African women, and how colonization deeply shaped not just developments of capitalism in Europe, but also ideas about womanhood more generally. Federici gestures at it sometimes, and works really hard to claim that poor women are demonized before colonization happens, but I'm not sure she really gives the claim as much weight or engages with it as much (especially thinking about African women and reproductive capacity, etc. etc.)

Which is not to say she's not making an impressive argument here, just that maybe I wasn't convinced by all parts of her argument. Regardless, I think this is a really fascinating look at the gendered aspects of the closures of the commons and beyond. I'm not sure I'm as well-read in Marxist history as I should be to approach this book, but I felt like I could mostly understand her arguments in spite of that fact. ( )

A fascinating book I may never have heard of except for the brief experiment that was Bitches with Bookmarks (an attempted online book club). This was our second (and probably last) book.

Anyway, it's a book about the history of capitalism, especially how it affected the role of women in society. How the costs of production -- reproduction, caring for and feeding a family -- were outsourced, how women's knowledge and wisdom was undermined and devalued, how the period of witch hunts served to collectively break the resistance of all women, and to separate them from an earlier society in which they had more respect and autonomy.

Full of ideas and contexts that hadn't occurred to me before -- this book blew my mind on a regular basis. Not a perfect book -- some arguments felt like overreaches, but considering the scope of history it's discussing, and the slimness of the volume, it packs quite a wallop.

Will definitely affect the lens through which I examine history for quite some time. ( )

One of the first books I read when starting to think about primitive accumulation and reproductive labour--one of those DING!DING!DING! books--so am quite defensive of it though am lately aware that there is some criticism of its lack of historical accuracy. 5 stars nevertheless because it is essential reading. ( )

You don't have to be a big feminist or communist to enjoy this book. It's a fascinating history that happens to be told from a Marxist perspective. ( )

Haven't finished the preface as yet but have already found much of interest and much to ponder on.This is not the type of volume to be picked up as a bit of light entertainment. It will, almost certainly, provide opportunities for research and intellectual fact-finding that may tie a number of seemingly unrelated issues together. Naturalistic sociology and the perceived function of homosexuals in society, classism and the naming of names, results in society of a capitalist worldview as related to the functioning of the nuclear family in relation to the community at large, to name just a few. ( )