Barbara Jane Davy - Böcker

Within contemporary Heathen communities, the Old English term "wyrd" is used to refer to the web of relations that connect all threads of existence. Inspired by pre-Christian traditions of Northern Europe, Heathens give gifts, toasts, and offerings to foster a sense of connection with other humans and the more-than-human world. In Wyrd Ecology, author Barbara Jane Davy posits that these ritual activities are not merely isolated exchanges but rather a means of sustaining entire relational systems, in turn inspiring givers and receivers to participate out of a desire for meaningful connection.Davy utilizes research from two years of participant observation in a Heathen community in Ontario, Canada to show how ritual activities deepen practitioners' sense of appreciation for what they have already received and instil a desire to give back. Davy illustrates how making offerings and giving gifts is important not only because of what people might believe about the gods, but because it gives people a sense of relatedness with their world. Ritual practices may thus play a critical role in instilling an ecological conscience and can encourage ethical relations and pro-environmental behavior.

Within contemporary Heathen communities, the Old English term "wyrd" is used to refer to the web of relations that connect all threads of existence. Inspired by pre-Christian traditions of Northern Europe, Heathens give gifts, toasts, and offerings to foster a sense of connection with other humans and the more-than-human world. In Wyrd Ecology, author Barbara Jane Davy posits that these ritual activities are not merely isolated exchanges but rather a means of sustaining entire relational systems, in turn inspiring givers and receivers to participate out of a desire for meaningful connection.Davy utilizes research from two years of participant observation in a Heathen community in Ontario, Canada to show how ritual activities deepen practitioners' sense of appreciation for what they have already received and instil a desire to give back. Davy illustrates how making offerings and giving gifts is important not only because of what people might believe about the gods, but because it gives people a sense of relatedness with their world. Ritual practices may thus play a critical role in instilling an ecological conscience and can encourage ethical relations and pro-environmental behavior.

Contemporary Paganism emerged in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s as a new religious movement, although practitioners understood themselves to be participating in a witchcraft tradition extending back into medieval—if not prehistoric—times.In recent decades, Pagan Studies has emerged through a plethora of sophisticated anthropological, sociological, and historical studies, and this new three-volume collection from Routledge’s Critical Concepts in Religious Studies series brings together the best foundational and cutting-edge scholarship in one ‘mini library’.Volume I addresses the emergence of Paganism as a religion. It collects scholarly analyses of the historical evolution of Paganism, and is organized under topics including debates of historical accuracy, influences on the development of Paganism, and the process of routinization in the religion. The second volume addresses the importance of environmentalism in contemporary Paganism, including work on how Pagans think about the natural world, environmental ethics, and related political activism. The final volume addresses the importance of gender issues and feminism in contemporary Paganism, and collects the best research on topics including immanence, embodiment, self-image, and sexuality.Paganism is fully indexed and has a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context. It is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued by scholars and students as a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.

Pagan Studies is maturing and moving beyond the context of new religious movements to situate itself in within of the study of world religions. Introduction to Pagan Studies is the first and only text designed to introduce the study of contemporary Paganism as a world religion. It examines the intellectual, religious, and social spheres of Paganism through common categories in the study of religion, which includes beliefs, practices, theology, ritual, history, and role of texts and scriptures. The text is accessible to readers of all backgrounds and religions and assumes no prior knowledge of Paganism. This text will also serve as a general introduction to Pagan Studies for non-specialist scholars of religion, as well as be of interest to scholars in the related disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology and Cultural Studies, and to students taking courses in Religious Studies, Pagan Studies, Nature Religion, New Religious Movements, and Religion in America. The book will also be useful to non-academic practitioners of Paganism interested in current scholarship.