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Too often women have a secondary place in religious institutions, with no possibility to influence or come into leading positions. This thesis aims to understand women’s empowerment by searching for such examples in Neo-Paganism, a growing New Religious Movement (NRM) in the west. Grace Jantzen’s development of Foucault’s power theory is utilized to analyze and understand the results. A mixed method is used; four interviews are conducted with Wiccan and Druid women, a survey of 332 women is analyzed, and literature and studies on Neo-Paganism are analyzed. I draw the conclusion that Neo-Paganism can empower women in different ways, however, this can be influenced by socio-cultural factors, as empowerment can look very different in different countries. The result is meant to provide us with an understanding of women’s needs in a religious and spiritual context, so that women may become empowered within their religious communities.

This paper aims to examine the development of political thinking of Heathenry and the factors that determine the political identity of particular heathen groups, namely their tendency to right-wing radicalism. The first chapter (after introduction) consists of four case studies; each one represents a different type of group in regard to where and under which circumstances they emerged, to the context that has been shaping their religious and political beliefs, and to the way they legitimize their possible political activism. The following two chapters analyze the historical influences that marked the difference in the ideological development of the two main types of Heathenry, Ásatrú and Odinism, in two distinct cultural milieus - Europe and the US. The final chapter is a synthesis of the case studies in relation to their historical background. The outcome of this synthesis offers a possible interpretation of the process of radicalization of the heathen groups. KEY WORDS: New religious movements, Germanic neopaganism, religious racism, political religion, nationalism, extremism, Asatru, Odinism