Pagan studies
Encyclopedia
Pagan studies refers to the academic discipline devoted to the study of contemporary Paganism
. It embraces a variety of different approaches, including history, sociology, anthropology, folklore and religious studies.
The rise of the discipline led to the publication of a peer-reviewed academic journal, The Pomegranate: A New Journal of Neopagan Thought (later renamed The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies), edited by American academic Chas S. Clifton
, whilst the academic publishers AltaMira Press began release of the Pagan Studies Series. One of the books AltaMira released was Researching Paganisms, an anthology edited by Jenny Blain, Douglas Ezzy and Graham Harvey
in which different Pagan studies scholars discussed their involvement with the subject and the opposition that they've faced.
, who had been a founding member of the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn
and the Covenant of the Goddess
during the 1970s. Having attained several academic qualifications, including in the field of religious studies, in the 1970s he began a study of the religious texts of Gardnerian Wicca
, in order to establish a historical chronology for the tradition. The results of his study would only be published in 1991, as Crafting the Art of Magic. This would later be rewritten and republished in 2007 as Inventing Witchcraft.
The prominent English historian Ronald Hutton
of the University of Bristol
later devoted the latter part of his book The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
(1991) to an examination of the contemporary Pagan religions that took these pre-Christian religions as a core influence. He followed this with several studies of British folk customs, but in 1999 returned to the field of Pagan studies when he published The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft
, the first academic study of Wiccan history
.
published Drawing Down the Moon, a sociological study of the Pagan movement across the United States, covering Wiccans, Druids, Goddess Worshipers, Heathens and Radical Faeries.
In 1999, the American sociologist Helen A. Berger of West Chester University published A Community of Witches
, a sociological study of the Wiccan and Pagan movement in the north-eastern United States.
Paganism (contemporary)
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
. It embraces a variety of different approaches, including history, sociology, anthropology, folklore and religious studies.
The rise of the discipline led to the publication of a peer-reviewed academic journal, The Pomegranate: A New Journal of Neopagan Thought (later renamed The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies), edited by American academic Chas S. Clifton
Chas S. Clifton
Chas S. Clifton is an American academic, author and historian who specialises in the fields of English studies and Pagan studies. Clifton currently holds a teaching position in English at Colorado State University-Pueblo, prior to which he taught at Pueblo Community College.A practicing Pagan...
, whilst the academic publishers AltaMira Press began release of the Pagan Studies Series. One of the books AltaMira released was Researching Paganisms, an anthology edited by Jenny Blain, Douglas Ezzy and Graham Harvey
Graham Harvey
Graham Harvey is an Australian actor, best known for his roles in television soap operas.His credits include: The Sullivans , The Young Doctors , Return to Eden , E Street and Neighbours .-External links:...
in which different Pagan studies scholars discussed their involvement with the subject and the opposition that they've faced.
Historical
Among the first scholars to study contemporary Paganism from a historical perspective was the American Wiccan Aidan KellyAidan Kelly
Aidan Kelly is an American academic, poet and influential figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Having developed his own branch of the faith, the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, during the 1960s, he was also initiated into other traditions, including Gardnerianism and Feri, in...
, who had been a founding member of the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn
New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn
The New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn is a Wiccan organization/tradition/denomination that, despite its name, has little or nothing to do with the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.The NROOGD Tradition of the Craft originated in 1967 with a group of friends The New Reformed...
and the Covenant of the Goddess
Covenant of the Goddess
The Covenant of the Goddess is a cross-traditional Wiccan group of solitary Wiccan practitioners and over one hundred affiliated covens . It was founded in 1975 in order to increase co-operation among Witches and to secure for Witches and covens the legal protection enjoyed by members of other...
during the 1970s. Having attained several academic qualifications, including in the field of religious studies, in the 1970s he began a study of the religious texts of Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
, in order to establish a historical chronology for the tradition. The results of his study would only be published in 1991, as Crafting the Art of Magic. This would later be rewritten and republished in 2007 as Inventing Witchcraft.
The prominent English historian Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio...
of the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
later devoted the latter part of his book The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy is a book of religious history and archaeology by the English historian Ronald Hutton, first published by Blackwell in 1991...
(1991) to an examination of the contemporary Pagan religions that took these pre-Christian religions as a core influence. He followed this with several studies of British folk customs, but in 1999 returned to the field of Pagan studies when he published The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft
The Triumph of the Moon
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft is a book of religious history by the English historian Ronald Hutton, first published by Oxford University Press in 1999...
, the first academic study of Wiccan history
History of Wicca
The history of Wicca documents the rise of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and related witchcraft-based Neopagan religions. Wicca originated in the early twentieth century, when it first developed amongst several secretive covens in England who were basing their religious beliefs and practices upon...
.
Sociological
In 1979, the American sociologist, journalist and Wiccan Margot AdlerMargot Adler
Margot Adler is an author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio .- Early life :Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City...
published Drawing Down the Moon, a sociological study of the Pagan movement across the United States, covering Wiccans, Druids, Goddess Worshipers, Heathens and Radical Faeries.
In 1999, the American sociologist Helen A. Berger of West Chester University published A Community of Witches
A Community of Witches
A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States is a sociological study of the Wiccan and wider Pagan community in the north-eastern United States written by American sociologist Helen A. Berger of West Chester University...
, a sociological study of the Wiccan and Pagan movement in the north-eastern United States.