Children were historically accused of witchcraft, both in the early days of Salem as well as in 16th and 17th century Europe — societies that held beliefs about the existence of witches and black magic. Professor Rushford will look into this phenomenon and how such accusations led to imprisonment, torture, and more.

Thomas Rushford is a 2007 Ph.D. graduate from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he also received his Master’s degree. Professor Rushford was hired as a full-time faculty member at Northern Virginia Community College in 2012 with the History Department and is currently a full professor.

Dr. Rushford’s latest project is Burnings and Blessings: The Cultural Reality of the Supernatural Across Early Modern European Spaces, and focuses on the cultural and social dynamics of supernatural beliefs (particularly, beliefs in witches and witchcraft in the 17th-century Atlantic world).