Thesis Book

— PUBLICATION DESIGN
— THESIS WRITING

This publication is a culmination of my thesis research, writing, and projects.

Throughout history, witches have been understood as threats to patriarchal forms of power. Historians of witchcraft have revealed that the women who were most often accused and persecuted were those who did not abide by the strictly controlled gender roles of the time. However, within recent years, women have appropriated the term ‘witch’ and reclaimed it as a symbol of female power. In this cultural climate, the witch is waking once again in women across the world.

This thesis explores the topic of witchcraft and feminism, and looks specifically at how women today are embracing witchcraft as a tool for female empowerment. By tracing the various witch representations in film and popular culture, and by conducting a visual analysis of this image culture, this thesis exposes multiple visual weapons used to perpetuate negative connotations of witchcraft. This thesis also attempts to understand the role of visual communication and design in the reshaping of perceptions and reframing of the narrative surrounding the witch archetype.