CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Jha, Nidhi |
|---|---|
| Title | Breaking the Spell: A Socio-Legal Inquiry into Witch-Hunting in India |
| Summary | This thesis examines witch-hunting in India as a gendered and intersectional form of violence rooted in structural inequalities of caste, class, and patriarchy. It challenges dominant narratives that dismiss witch-hunting as superstition, instead framing it as systemic violence that disproportionately targets women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The study adopts a critical legal and feminist methodology, drawing on intersectionality theory to analyse how overlapping identities shape women’s vulnerability to witchcraft accusations. Focusing on anti-witch-hunting laws at the national and the central level, the research evaluates the gender sensitivity and effectiveness of state responses. It also engages with India’s obligations under international human rights law, particularly Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, highlighting significant gaps in legal protection and the absence of intersectional approaches. Through doctrinal analysis and case studies, the thesis reveals institutional failures and the socio-legal dynamics sustaining witch-hunting. Finally, it proposes legal and policy reforms grounded in an intersectional human rights framework to better address the specific harms faced by marginalised women and promote more inclusive and effective protections against this form of violence. |
| Supervisor | Möschel, Mathias |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/jha_nidhi.pdf |
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