Raw Livers and Rampant Lovers: The South Asian Witch as a Consuming Force

Part of the South Asia seminar series

Speakers: Annie Zaidi (chair), Dr Shamira Mehgani

Even today, across South Asia, a witch’s gaze or ‘nazar’ is feared as a consuming force with a particular preference for human hearts and livers. Such ideas find resonance in both folklore and contemporary fiction where the witch appears as a liver-eating female monster whose victims are often men.

This event will discuss Durham PhD scholar Annie Zaidi's ongoing doctoral research on witches in contemporary South Asian fiction. These include the theory that ‘consumption’ by a witch-protagonist is more metaphoric than literal and that the literary witch serves as a vehicle for the expression of popular ideas about women’s bodies and appetites. Dr Shamira Mehgani, Assistant Professor in our Department of English Studies, will also be speaking at the event.