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Doing Late Modern Community: British Pagans and the Processes of Group Membership Thomas Edwin Hope

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Doing Late Modern Community: British Pagans and the Processes of Group Membership Thomas Edwin Hope Doing Late Modern Community: British Pagans and the Processes of Group Membership Thomas Edwin Hope PHD University of York Department of Sociology December 2003 Abstract This thesis is concerned with the notion of 'community' in late modernity. It approaches the topic via a grounded qualitative empirical study into processes of group membership as practiced by contemporary Pagans in Britain. Part One consists of an exploration of texts to explicate theories of community, group processes and Paganism in sociological research. The first chapter explores key theories of community as expressed in sociological literature and focuses specifically on the work of three authors: Ferdinand T6nnies, Anthony Cohen and Michel Maffesoli. Chapter Two is an explication of research into group processesas expressed by the vocabulary of Social Psychology. After presenting a characterisation of contemporary Paganism and its relationship to academic literature in Chapter Three, the second section of the thesis uses the methods of participant observation and the long interview to explore community 'in use' in different contexts. Each chapter examines the interaction of Pagans in a different setting, noting the shaping of community in each. Part Three of the thesis is an extension of this into an analysis of Pagan life-histories, as told in semi-structured interviews. Finally conclusions are drawn that, in revisiting the three principal authors, community in late modernity can be understood as a collection of integrated micro-social processes that incorporate claims of expertise, knowledge and belonging. 2 Contents Abstract p2 Contents p3 List of Figures p4 Acknowledgments P5 Introduction P6 Part 1: Theoretical Contexts Chapter One: Community in Sociological PIO Theory Chapter Two: Group Structure and Process in p28 Empirical Research Chapter Three: British Paganism as a Literature p44 of Religion and History Part 11: Doing a Pagan Community in Dedicated Settings Chapter Four: The Northtown and Westcity p63 Moots () 11 Chapter Five: Rituals, Conferences and Camps PO-1 Chapter six: Techy Pagans: Identity, p106 Communication and Community in a Pagan Listserv Part III: Doing a Pagan Identity in Narrative Self-Accounts Chapter Seven: Doing a Pagan Identity in p144 Narrative Self-Accounts Part IV: Conclusion Conclusion: Paganism and p174 Contemporary Community Epilogue p182 Appendix One The emergence of the researcher: p185 A personal account Appendix Two Method of Life-story P190 Interviewing 3 AppendixThree Prominent Characters P192 Appendix Four Example Life-story P194 List of References P195 List of Figures Figure 1. Number of Messages by Month pl 13 Figure 2. Number of Messages by User pl. 16 Figure 3. Time-line from life-story interview P 190 with Jim 4 Acknowledgments There are so many people that should be acknowledgedon this page for their support and advice, but to avoid it becoming akin to a debut CD sleeve notes, some individuals will have to be excluded. But fear not, you are all part of the 'community' of scholarsthat together form a body - an often seemingly impossible-to-ascendmountain of intellect - to which mere PhD studentscan only gazeup at in wonder and amazement,hoping to fulfil the requirement of 'original knowledge' neededto get their doctorate. Having said that, there is no doubt that the processwould have been all the more difficult and lengthy if it were not for the constantguidance (read: prodding, criticising, counselling and despairing) of my supervisor,Dr. Vladimir Andrle. His ability to direct me on the path of academicdiscussion and empirical analysis, and thereby avoid the ever- presentdesire to "jack it all in" and go down the pub (which admittedly was encouragedat times as well), was exceptional. His own interestsin the methodological twists and turns of qualitative researchunquestionably influenced my own direction as a sociologist, and his abilities to write clearly and beautifully continue to inspire. Thank you Vladimir; may you never know the exact number of times I cursedand stomped after leaving your office. I should give thanks to the two members of my thesis panel, firstly, to Colin Campbell for his pioneering work on members of the 'cultic milieu' and his useful comments particularly at the beginning of my writing, and secondly, to Andy Tudor for not-quite- agreeing with my conception of late modernity in my upgrading review and for protecting me from the wrath of Colin. I also thank my examiners, Ken Plummer and Robin Wooffitt, for their extremely helpful advice regarding the thesis and its future, and for generally being far nicer in the viva than you appeared in my pre-viva nightmare. Additional acknowledgements go to Steven Yearley for allowing me to teach, and to Andrew Webster, Ragna Zeiss and the other members of SATSU for not tempting me to STS until after the research. Finally, I thank my parentsfor funding me for too long and having faith that I was actually working, Sifu and Gav for showing me the centreline, and my partner Saekofor keeping me centred. 5 Introduction This thesis is about a seemingly ephemeralbut nonethelesshighly socially significant is notion of "community". The conception - that of a social bond betweenmembers - consequentialin that it is utilised, or at the very least its underlying ideas are implied, in an almost infinite number of contemporary discourses. In one senseit is conceivableto argue that as ideas of "community" are expressedin so many different ways, focussing upon it 'one more time' will be an empty exercise. Surely Sociology does not need yet one more grand theory about the sweepingchanges incurred by increasing individualism, globalisation or technological transformations? We already have very well constructed treatiseson thesetopics stretching back to the inception of the social sciences. Yet, despitethis fact, community ceasesto disappearas a defining principle in the lives of many people, and many theorists. In fact, the production of texts assessingconcepts of community continues unabated. In 2001 Zigmunt Baumanproduced one book on community, noting that it increasesin significance when viewed as a nostalgic and 'safe' space. 2003 saw anothertext by Gerard Delanty, exploring the various facets of community and pointing out confidently that "the revival of community today is undoubtedly connectedwith the crisis of belonging in its relation to place" (Delanty, 2003: 195). It is perhapsaccurate to proposethat although the term 'community' contains multiple meanings,the very multifaceted nature is what makes it interesting for study. The current political climate and rapid increasein the use of the internet only adds to the importance of understandingthe characterof contemporarycommunity when a very real fear exists for many about what ties beyond their own network. Despite this continued need to approachcommunity it is easyto be overwhelmed by the weight of the concept. Community can in many sensesbe seenas an all-encompassing conceptthat, in its insistenceon togetherness,bonding and consensusleaves little room for the everyday interaction of individuals. And yet, as arguedby Michel Maffesoli (1996), it is from individuals in small groups that community can now be found. There is a gulf, then, betweenwhat many have written about community and an understandingof how, in a time when it appearsto be more a polemic rather than actuality, people are able to use the concept to form relationships and structuretheir lives. It is this spacethat forms the starting point for my work. This thesis, unlike the principal writings on community in late modernity, takes the focus to where community is done by people beyond macro- social theory. It examinescommunity as an observableset of phenomenathat, in their use, 6 generate social ordering on a micro-scale. It is a study of community in process rather than community as normative prescription. The central question to be examined is: what can be said of community in its micro-socially observable form, as experienced and enacted by members. The thesis consistsof three parts that combined answerthe main researchquestion. There are feasibly many approachesthat could be taken to explore the area, and much of the direction would inevitably be dependenton the theoretical position adopted. With this in mind, the first chapter,entitled 'Community in Sociological Theory,' gives a brief explication of the most prominent sociological theories of community. It locatesthe question of community in late modernity by examining three key texts, Ferdinand T6nnies' ([1887] 2001) Communityand Sociqy, Antony Cohen's (1985) The Symbolic Construction of Community,and Michel Maffesoli's ([ 1988] 1996) The Time of the Tribes. The subsequentchapter takes the theories of group processesas its centre, thereby providing a vocabulary to be used in the later ethnographicanalysis. To conclude Part One of the thesis, ChapterThree gives a brief exploration of contemporary Paganismas a form of late modem dialogue with academicwriting. It therefore presentsan overview of some of the aspectsof the religion and those who define themselvesas 'Pagan'. Helen Berger (1999) in her study of 'Neo-Paganism' in the United States argues that contemporary Paganism should be considered a religion of late modernity. As evidence for this she gives comparisons with gay and lesbian communities, and suggests that community in late modernity is largely about choice. Although this simplifies the debates about gay or lesbian identity, contemporary Paganism in Britain can be seen
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