Caliban and the Witch

A historical and political study of the transition to capitalism, focusing on late medieval peasant revolts, the European witch hunts, the rise of scientific rationalism, and the colonisation of the Americas. It argues that these changes were driven by violence and social control, reshaping labour, belief, and family life.

The book brings together social history, feminist theory, and critiques of modernity to examine the costs of that transformation. Its emphasis on women’s reproductive labour and the enclosure of the body gives the subject a clear and provocative focus.