Why did medieval women mystics starve themselves? What caused the European witch hunts, and why were its victims tortured and killed? Why has the Christian West regularly found maternal figures threatening? To answer these questions, Martha Reineke advances a theory of sacrifice, inspired by Julia Kristeva and Rene Girard, that attempts to account for violence in Western culture, the human proclivity for bodily mutilation and abuse, and women's special vulnerability to violence.

A challenging and controversial book, Sacrificed Lives constructs an important bridge between "esoteric," postmodern theory and "ordinary" human life, as it furthers a vital philosophical debate on the question of violence.