The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada (2024 Reissue)

Greg Marchildon talks to Mairi Cowan about her book The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada. A timely arrival for the upcoming spooky season, this episode features a reissue from 2022 in which Greg Marchildon interviews Mairi Cowan, author of The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada. Cowan's work explores the social and religious context of 17th-century Quebec through the case of Barbe Hallay's possession, highlighting the fears and anxieties of people in New France. She examines beliefs about witchcraft, demonology, and the influence of the Church, illustrating the colony's precarious social dynamics during that time. Mairi Cowan is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, at the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga with a cross appointment to the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy. She is a historian of the late medieval and early modern world, with specializations in the social and religious histories of Scotland and New France. She is also an officer of the Champlain Society. Image Credit: McGill-Queen’s University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.