Introduction to Pagan Studies - Paperback

by Barbara Jane Davy (Author)

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.

Author Biography

Barbara Jane Davy holds a Ph.D. in religion from Concordia University, Montreal. She has been engaged in the academic study of Paganism for ten years, and has written articles on Paganism, shamanism, and nature religion ritual studies, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas in journals and encyclopedias. She currently serves as President of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada and has been an active member of the Nature Religion Scholars Network within the American Academy of Religion since 1997.