Professor George Goga speaks about upcomings book publication on Jun. 1

Professor George Goga, an Adjunct Lecturer and Coordinator of the Individualized Studies Program here at SUNY Geneseo, is releasing a book on some spooky subjects this upcoming summer. One of the classes Goga teaches at Geneseo is an INTD 105 class titled The Witch; in this class, students participate in discussions about who witches are, what they have been through, and what witches can, and possibly will, become in the future.  

Goga wanted to pursue this topic at Geneseo because of his own personal interests. 

“I’m fascinated by the anthropological perspectives on this question that, you know, as a variety of people—my students, us, other people—interact with this question,” Goga said. “We change our perspective to it. There’s a historical tradition we need to think about.” 

Goga himself took a class in graduate school called “Mysteries: The Witch,” which drew him closer to this topic. He noted that: “It kind of intersects with a class I took on witchcraft… from which I take the title of our class, but also the intro on our syllabus, directly from my colleague Will Miller at the University of Rochester… That’s one of the reasons that kind of lit this strange fire, coupled with my anthropology interests, and that’s kind of why things are the way that they are.”

The upcoming book, E-Witched: How an Ancient Identity Can Help Us Prepare for an Uncertain Future, discusses the increased interest, particularly in younger generations, in witchcraft: 

“The genesis of the project has to do with how much digital occult has exploded over the past five years. Whether it’s on social media or other online spaces, it’s taken off,” Goga said. “It’s exploded to the point where it seems to me that increasingly, as young people reject religion and reject these organized doctrines… People are still looking for something. I think that that ‘something’ is the online occult movement that the witch seems to be having.” 

On TikTok, the hashtag #WitchTok currently has over 40 billion views, in addition to other hashtags and topics that coincide with it. These topics include spells, tarot (with tips and how to start), history, and witchcraft in different communities and countries.

Goga’s book also discusses the economic and social pursuits of the digital occult: “The second part of that also has to do with the way it’s become monetized. I mean, the way people are making money off of this, the way people are building their personas, their identities, off of this. The whole influencer culture which has kind of morphed into gurus, and fake gurus… But the way in which people are looking to profit off of this once stigmatized identity.” 

It is known by many people that practicing witchcraft used to be considered a crime, and historically, many people were not only chastised, but killed for it. Today, witches are now more accepted and aren’t as ridiculed; the misogyny that witchcraft continues to face must be noted. Witches are more represented in the media, as well; shows such as Vampire Diaries, AHS: Coven, Bewitched, and even various Halloween movies tend to include a witch as a protagonist in the plot lines, with some witches as antagonists here and there. 

Goga’s book is set to come out on Jun. 1st, 2023. Goga is planning on making his book free to students, so make sure to email him (ggoga@geneseo.edu) if you are interested. It will also be available for purchase on Amazon.