Seed Talks: The History of Witchcraft and Feminism (16+)The Glee Club Cardiff

Book tickets Times & prices Times & prices

Journey into the fascinating history of witchcraft and its connections to femininity and feminism. Followed by Q&A.

Advance price

£17.50 VIP Front Row
£10.50 Earlybird Show Entry
£10.50 Wheelchair Earlybird Show Entry
£12.50 Standard Show Entry
£12.50 Wheelchair Standard Show Entry
£14.50 Final Release Show Entry
£14.50 Wheelchair Final Release Show Entry
+ £2.00 booking fee per ticket

Times

Doors open 6:30 PM
Last entry 7:00 PM

More info

Seating type Unallocated
Food available Yes
Minimum age 16+

Seed Talks: The History of Witchcraft and Feminism with Dr Tabitha Stanmore

The word ‘witch’ – what does it conjure for you? Do you immediately have an image of a hat, broomstick and cat, or an old, warty woman who entraps children in her gingerbread house? Or do you see a young, empowered healer who is targeted simply for being different? Whatever you’re thinking, the unifying feature is probably that the witch is female. But why? How did this stereotype come about?

Join Tabitha Stanmore as she explores the evolution of the image of the witch, and asks why witchcraft has become so bound up with femininity. The answer isn’t as simple as you might think: even at the very height of the witch trials in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, witchcraft was never a solely female crime.

In this unique talk, we will look at the different kinds of magic that were practised in the past – from diabolical harm to fortune-telling, and summoning fairies to necromancy – and consider the different kinds of people who did it. We’ll pick apart some witchcraft icons – like the pointy hat – and trace their origins. By the end, you will have an idea of how a complex and diverse history of magic became distilled into the monolithic word ‘witch’, and how the witch became a figurehead of feminist movements from around the world.

Doors open at 6.30pm, Last entry at 7.00pm talk starts at 7.30pm – come down early to grab a good seat!

Dr Tabitha Stanmore is a postdoctoral researcher on the Leverhulme-funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project at the University of Exeter, and is specialist in medieval and early modern English magic and witchcraft. Her monograph, Love Spells and Lost Treasure: Service Magic in England from the Later Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era, was published with Cambridge University Press in 2022. Her first book for general readers, Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic, was published in 2024 with the Bodley Head. She has written for TIME, The Conversation and The Telegraph, among others, and featured on Radio 3’s Free Thinking and BBC 4’s Plague Fiction.

⭐ Great events, amazing speakers on important topics, would recommend!
- Scott F

⭐ Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn’t recommend these enough! 5 star.
- Owen S

⭐ Engaging talks on lots of enriching & inspiring topics. Completely recommend Seed Talks for anyone looking to learn something new in an accessible way!
- Colette F