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PAGAN STUDIES – a PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Summer Term, 30 Hrs Witches, Druids, Modern Vikings and other Contemporary Pagans in a course, PAGAN STUDIES – A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Summer term, 30 hrs. 4 ECTS credits Every Tuesday, 11:30 – 13:00 Room 13, Institute of Religious Studies Course description About the Lecturer The course covers some crucial topics in the emerging sub-discipline of Reli- DR ADAM ANCZYK, PH.D. gious Studies, namely “Pagan Studies”, from the cultural psychology of religion Researcher and lecturer in psychol- perspective. Some classes will be devoted to historical aspects of contemporary ogy of religion and religious stud- Paganism or Neo-Paganism (Romantic revival, Pagan inspirations in Germany ies. His academic interests include in the early XXth century, history of Wicca and Druidry), and other will present cultural psychology of religion and the image of Pagan diaspora all around the World, including cultural and local spirituality (conversion, religious peculiarities (Contemporary Druidry, Neo-Paganism in Poland, Lithuania and discrimination), new religious move- Scandinavia, Paganism in the USA and Europe: similarities and differences, ments (esp. contemporary Druidry), recognition of contemporary Paganism in various social context). The emphasis dream studies, religions of ancient will be put not only on the cultural history, but also on the psychosocial aspects Europe and methodology in psychol- of the movement, therefore during our classes a socio-psychological image of ogy of religion. Enjoys a good book contemporary Pagans will emerge, as we will discuss such topics as: converting (preferably a horror or a crime nov- to Paganism, Pagan ethics, Paganism and ecology, Pagan themes in Pop-cul- el), ethnic and neo-folk music, and ture. The course aims at providing participants with general knowledge about board games. contemporary Paganism; participants will acquire knowledge on Paganism in all major aspects of the phenomenon – from historical roots to the psychological Enroll via the Secretary: Institute of portrait of a follower; also, an emphasis will be put on the practical skills: how Religious Studies, Grodzka Str. 52 to conduct research in the field of New Religious Movements (field research, analysis of the cultural material: movies, fiction etc.). Do you want to know WHICH WITCH IS WHICH? Methods of assessment 1. Class participation (if all “present” = 0.1 points, 1 absence is allowed during *Participants with more than 2 absences the semester*) and active participation in the course, homework done for tuto- and those enrolled on the Individual Pro- rials (if all “done” = 0.1 points, if not 0.0 points). gramme will have to pass the Pagan Quiz additionally during the exam session (the 2. Written essay/empirical work on a subject chosen by the student (the best pa- content of which is covered by lectures). pers will be considered for publication) submitted until the end of the semester or summer exam session (a paper approx. 2000-5000 words, academic research paper or an essay with proper methodological apparatus and appropriate ref- erences; citation format as in the Chicago Manual of Style). Topics should be presented and discussed during methodological classes. There is a possibility of working in teams of 2. (0.3 – 0.6 points). 3. Mmeeting the Pagan: an empirical fieldwork exercise (0.1 – 0.2 points). Course grading. The passing grade is over 50%. 90% A 5.0 80% B 4.5 70% C 4.0 60% D 3.5 Outcomes The course aims at providing students with general knowledge about contem- porary Paganism; students will acquire knowledge on Paganism in all aspects of the phenomenon – from historical roots to the psychological portrait of a follower; also, an emphasis will be put on the practical skills: how to conduct research in the field of New Religious Movements (field research, analysis of the cultural material: movies, fiction etc.). Course outline The course consist of class hours and readings & empirical exercises done at home. Most of the classes will follow a schema of 1hrs (45 minutes) lecture & 1hrs (45 minutes) seminar on the readings. Each seminar has keywords on which we will concentrate our analysis and discussion. They will form a thread linking the discussion over presented Pagan topics with psychological theories and research. 1. Introductory classes. Pagan Studies in the field of contemporary Religious Keywords: research methodology Studies. Psychology of religion and researching contemporary Paganisms. Con- troversies over Pagan Studies. Markus Altena Davidsen, “What Is Wrong with Pagan Studies?,” Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 24, no. 2 (January 01, 2012): 183–199. 2. The roots of contemporary Paganism: Romantic revival, nationalism and Keywords: typology & taxonomies Paganism. Defining “Paganism(s)”, the history of the notion and typology: Paleo-Paganism, Neo-Paganism, Meso-Paganism, Ethno-Paganism, Natio-Pa- ganism, Magical Paganism. The overview of contemporary Pagan religious movements. Adam Anczyk, The Golden Sickle: An Introduction to Contemporary Druidry(Katowice: Sacrum Publishing House, 2014), 124–141. 3. Which witch is which? Cultural history of modern witchcraft and Wicca. Keywords: stereotypes, the occult, initiation, secret societies Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 205–252. Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America (New York: Penguin Books, 2006), 90–139. Isaac Bonewits, Bonewits’s Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca (New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006), 87–132. 4. (Re)Searching Wicca. Contemporary Paganism as a subject of research: Keywords: quantitative and qualitative methods & methodologies. Wicca in the social context. research, etic vs emic,insider vs outsider Gary F. Jensen and Ashley Thompson, “‘Out of the Broom Closet’: The Social Ecology of American Wicca,” Journal for the Scientific Study of … 47, no. 4 (2008): 753–766. Jo Pearson, “‘Going Native in Reverse’: The Insider as Researcher in British Wicca,”Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 5, no. 1 (2001): 52–63. Maciej Witulski, “‘Imported’ Paganisms in Poland in the Twenty-First Century: A Sketch of the Developing Landscape,” in Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, ed. Kaarina Airtamurto and Scott Simpson (Durham: Acumen Pub- lishing Limited, 2013), 298–314. 5. Conducting research in the field of Pagan Studies: project discussion, meth- odology & methods. For the particular methods see: Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion. (Routledge, 2011). 6. Reconstructing the Past? Pagan movements in Poland and Lithuania. The Keywords: tradition, native faith and world need for roots and tradition in religion. religions, cognitive dissonance Scott Simpson, “Strategies for (Re) Constructing Religious Practice in Polish Rodzimow- ierstwo,” in Walking the Old Ways. Studies in Contemporary European Paganism, ed. Adam Anczyk and Halina Grzymała-Moszczyńska (Katowice: Sacrum Publishing House, 2012), 11–34. Rasa Pranskevičiūtė, “Contemporary Paganism in Lithuanian Context: Prinicpal Beliefs and Practices of Romuva,” in Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, ed. Kaarina Aitamurto and Scott Simpson (Durham: Acumen Publishing Limited, 2013), 77–94. Caroline Jane Tully, “Researching the Past Is a Foreign Country: Cognitive Dissonance as a Response by Practitioner Pagans to Academic Research on the History of Pagan Reli- gions,” Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies13, no. 1 (March 09, 2011): 98–105. 7. Transcultural quest for identity: the cases of Ásatrú and Hellenism. Religios- Keywords: identity, cultural psychology, ity and identity. Acculturating Paganisms: the influence of culture on religious migration movements and individual attitudes. Marek Job, “The Rebirth of Ancient Greek Religion: Prolegomena to the Hellenic Polythe- istic Reconstructionism,” in Walking the Old Ways. Studies in Contemporary European Paganism, ed. Adam Anczyk and Halina Grzymała-Moszczyńska (Katowice: Sacrum Pub- lishing, 2012), 61–80. Egil Asprem, “Heathens up North: Politics, Polemics, and Contemporary Norse Paganism in Norway,” Pomegranate 10 (2008): 41–69. Sabrina Magliocco, Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America (Philadel- phia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001), 205–237. 8. History of Druidry: from para-masonic organizations to contemporary Pa- Keywords: psychology of myth, mythical think- gan movements. The history and psychology of a myth. ing, the invention of tradition Anczyk, The Golden Sickle: An Introduction to Contemporary Druidry, 73–118. 9. Druidry in Great Britain and USA: rituals, beliefs, organizations. Keywords: ritual, religious leaders, new reli- gious movements Ibid., 141–184; 208–230. 10. Converting to Paganism: the homecoming hypothesis and coming home Keywords: conversion, narrative psychology, experience. The notion of a religious conversion in the psychology of religion. proselytism Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pa- gans in America, 13–21. Adam Anczyk and Matouš Vencálek, “Coming Home to Paganism: Theory of Religious Conversion or a Theological Principle?,” Studia Religiologica. Zeszyty Naukowe … 46, no. 38 (2013): 161–171. Eugene V Gallagher, “A Religion without Converts? Becoming a Neo-Pagan,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 62, no. 3 (1994):
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