As a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I am writing my dissertation on how legends of witches and other magic-users in Scandinavia reveal cultural aspects of Scandinavia from the Viking Age through the early modern period. I focus on gender roles, social power, and religious identity, investigating how narratives of magic shaped and were shaped by these changing building blocks of culture.
I am interested in visual as well as oral transmission of legends, and am hoping to develop my photography skills not only as a hobby but also to document depictions of witches and demons on the walls of medieval churches throughout Scandinavia. Eventually I hope to build an online database of such images.
I am also currently an assistant editor at the University of Wisconsin Press, where I am developing my skills as an editor.
amberjorose 