Worldwide, the term witchcraft takes on different connotations. In America, most of the European Union, South Africa, and Australia, the term witch has been used by women as a source of empowerment and individual religious expression to separate themselves from mainstream religions. In other parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabic peninsula, witches and the practice of witchcraft are met with severe opposition, litigation, and execution. In both connotations, witchcraft is most generally seen as an opposition to mainstream religious and political forces. The social situations of each country determine the way in which the mainstream population reacts to self-identified or perceived witches.

In most cases, the term witch is synonymous with an outsider or someone affiliated with esoteric ...