Syftet med detta arbete är att belysa neopaganers religiositet i en relevant samhällskontext där religion blivit något personligt och nästintill tabubelagt. Med en fenomenologisk forskningsansats har fem neopaganers upplevelser studerats ifråga om hur de i dagens Sverige skapar och upprätthåller sina religiösa identiteter. I ljuset av Geertzs resonemang om religion som ett kulturellt system av meningsfulla symboler har jag beskrivit neopaganernas livsvärldar och med hjälp av Jenkins teori kring social identitet som förklaringsmodell har jag analyserat skapandet och upprätthållandet av informanternas religiösa identiteter. Slutligen har det framkommit att neopaganer endast har möjlighet att skapa och upprätthålla religiösa identiteter i och genom sin kollektiva neopaganska identitet då det i dagens samhälle ges ett större erkännande till organiserade grupper än till individer. De skapar och upprätthåller sina neopaganska identiteter genom att umgås med likasinnade och skapa identitetsprospekt utifrån vilken publik de vänder sig till. Dessa prospekt har visat sig i hög grad variera och kan ibland innebära att den religiösa identiteten knappast ens skymtas men också att identiteten ibland klart och tydligt markeras med diverse symboler, alla utmärkande neopaganska. Det är publikens förförståelse kring neopaganism som avgör vilken typ av identitetsprospekt som presenteras och detta har fått som konsekvens att neopaganerna blivit relativt anonyma i det offentliga då allmänheten saknar god förförståelse.

This study explores the origins and development of one of America's largest alternative religions, contemporary Paganism, while placing emphasis on the roles of homosexual and heterosexual males within a movement that is dominated by women and focused on a Goddess, rather than a God. This gendered examination demonstrates contemporary Paganism's roots in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, and investigates how rituals have changed for boys within the movement, as well as ritual modification among homosexual males. This study reveals a reverse sexism among contemporary Pagan women toward males within the community and how this group is still working toward understanding and acceptance between the sexes. With an ever growing presence and over 300, 000 contemporary Pagans in the United States to date, this religious group adds to the changing contours of American religion.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of History

O presente trabalho investiga as motivações para a escolha do neopaganismo como religião por indivíduos de contextos diferenciados na cidade do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências. Foram etnografados rituais e eventos públicos neopagãos na cidade durante o período de 2012 a 2014. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com neopagãos e analisada sua literatura religiosa. A pesquisa concentrou-se, sobretudo, nas atividades e vivências do coven Chuva Vernal, de Wicca Xamânica. Como conclusão sugerem-se duas hipóteses principais sobre quais elementos explicariam a motivação para aderir e permanecer nessa religião: a lógica da distinção, discutida por Simmel, e o conceito, usado por Manuel Castells, de identidade de projeto. / This study investigates the motivations for the choice of neo-paganism as a religion by individuals of different contexts in the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas. Neopagan rituals and public events in the city were ethnographed during the period 2012-2014. Interviews were conducted and analyzed their religious literature. The research focused mainly on the activities and experiences of the Chuva Vernal Coven, a group of Shamanic Wicca. As a conclusion we suggest two main hypotheses about which factors explain the motivation to join and stay in this religion: the logic of distinction, discussed by Simmel, and the concept of project identity, used by Manuel Castells.

O presente trabalho investiga as motivações para a escolha do neopaganismo como religião por indivíduos de contextos diferenciados na cidade do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências. Foram etnografados rituais e eventos públicos neopagãos na cidade durante o período de 2012 a 2014. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com neopagãos e analisada sua literatura religiosa. A pesquisa concentrou-se, sobretudo, nas atividades e vivências do coven Chuva Vernal, de Wicca Xamânica. Como conclusão sugerem-se duas hipóteses principais sobre quais elementos explicariam a motivação para aderir e permanecer nessa religião: a lógica da distinção, discutida por Simmel, e o conceito, usado por Manuel Castells, de identidade de projeto. / This study investigates the motivations for the choice of neo-paganism as a religion by individuals of different contexts in the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas. Neopagan rituals and public events in the city were ethnographed during the period 2012-2014. Interviews were conducted and analyzed their religious literature. The research focused mainly on the activities and experiences of the Chuva Vernal Coven, a group of Shamanic Wicca. As a conclusion we suggest two main hypotheses about which factors explain the motivation to join and stay in this religion: the logic of distinction, discussed by Simmel, and the concept of project identity, used by Manuel Castells.

For members of the Swedish Heathen organisation Forn Sed Sverige, the term blot is defined as an act of ritual sacrifice through which one can communicate with the gods and other powers. The purpose of this thesis is to provide an overview of the various forms of blot and to explore the meanings ascribed to it by the practitioners. By looking at the structure of the ritual itself, what is sacrificed, the contexts in which the ritual is conducted and how the aforementioned aspects of it are understood, this thesis presents an image of blot as a central ritual practise within the Swedish Heathen community, as well as a way for the members of Forn Sed Sverige to construct a sense of continuity between their own blot and pre-Christian religion in Scandinavia by prioritising ritual practise over religious beliefs.

The aim of this thesis is to describe origins, history, activity and influence of a Latvian religious movement called Dievturība, established in Latvia in the interwar period, interruption of their activities as a consequence of the Soviet occupation in 1940 and its renewal in exile, especially in the United States, where the followers of Dievturība built an important Latvian cultural centre, as well as its rebirth in the independent Latvia after 1990. With the help of the American Dievturi Latvian followers try to gain more attention through organizing cultural events and raise public awareness of Dievturība. Furthermore the thesis surveys origins of the movement's doctrine, contacts of Dievturība with folklore groups, attitude of its followers, Dievturi, towards politics and media and especially the significance of Dievturība for forming the modern Latvian society. Special attention is paid to Ernests Brastiņš, a founder of the movement, to his life, thoughts, ideas and plans connected with his effort to revive Latvian national cultural consciousness. There are also important the views of critics of Dievturība's doctrine and its understanding of pre-Christian Latvian religion, to which Dievturība relates. In my work I also try to outline the pre-Christian Latvian religion and to find differences...

This thesis explores the cult and mythos of the goddess Kali both in her Eastern and Western contexts, comparing and contrasting them in order to gain a better understanding of the Western appropriations of Kali within feminist goddess spirituality. Utilizing a variety of methods, including ethnographic research conducted at Kali temples in California, this research is aimed at providing an entry into the lived contemporary tradition of the Western Kali within goddess spirituality circles, focusing on embodied experience, devotion, ritual, and syncretic practices. Kali, a fierce Indian goddess, is often seen in the Hindu context as a central manifestation of the all encompassing Mother Goddess (Mahadevi, Devi, Shakti, etc), and therefore is a particularly engaging example of contemporary Western appropriation of religious and cultural symbols and narratives. This thesis contributes to understanding Kali in her new North American domain, as well as serving as a case study of the shifting religious landscape in the West.

This thesis explores the cult and mythos of the goddess Kali both in her Eastern and Western contexts, comparing and contrasting them in order to gain a better understanding of the Western appropriations of Kali within feminist goddess spirituality. Utilizing a variety of methods, including ethnographic research conducted at Kali temples in California, this research is aimed at providing an entry into the lived contemporary tradition of the Western Kali within goddess spirituality circles, focusing on embodied experience, devotion, ritual, and syncretic practices. Kali, a fierce Indian goddess, is often seen in the Hindu context as a central manifestation of the all encompassing Mother Goddess (Mahadevi, Devi, Shakti, etc), and therefore is a particularly engaging example of contemporary Western appropriation of religious and cultural symbols and narratives. This thesis contributes to understanding Kali in her new North American domain, as well as serving as a case study of the shifting religious landscape in the West.

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This thesis explores the cult and mythos of the goddess Kali both in her Eastern and Western contexts, comparing and contrasting them in order to gain a better understanding of the Western appropriations of Kali within feminist goddess spirituality. Utilizing a variety of methods, including ethnographic research conducted at Kali temples in California, this research is aimed at providing an entry into the lived contemporary tradition of the Western Kali within goddess spirituality circles, focusing on embodied experience, devotion, ritual, and syncretic practices. Kali, a fierce Indian goddess, is often seen in the Hindu context as a central manifestation of the all encompassing Mother Goddess (Mahadevi, Devi, Shakti, etc), and therefore is a particularly engaging example of contemporary Western appropriation of religious and cultural symbols and narratives. This thesis contributes to understanding Kali in her new North American domain, as well as serving as a case study of the shifting religious landscape in the West.