Jennifer Snook: American Heathens

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#CC0000" alink="#CC0000"><center><hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade>An in-depth examination of American Heathenry and of those who practice and live according to its ethic<hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade><p><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9781439910962&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><img src="2296_reg.gif" height=200 border=1 vspace=4></p></center><h1>American Heathens</h1> <H2>The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement</H2> <h3>Jennifer Snook</h3> <P>cloth 1-4399-1096-0 $94.50, Jul 15, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <br>paper 1-4399-1097-9 $29.95, Jul 15, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <br>Electronic Book 1-4399-1098-7 $29.95 <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <BR> 234 pp 6x9 7 halftones </P><BLOCKQUOTE><I>"</I>American Heathens<I> is an extremely valuable work of highly original and well-grounded scholarship. This book is a quantum leap forward beyond what earlier scholars have done. Snook provides a theoretically astute analysis of the Heathen movement, and a much more nuanced discussion of the dynamics of such issues as gender roles, communal identity formation, and relationships to other New Religious Movement and mainstream American society and religion than other works on this topic. I fully expect that </I>American Heathens<I> will become a standard work in the emerging sub-field of Pagan Studies, and be of great interest to scholars and teachers."</i> <br>&#151<b>Michael Strmiska</b>, Assistant Professor of World History at SUNY-Orange, and author of <i>Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives</i></I></BLOCKQUOTE> <P><I>American Heathens</I> is the first in-depth ethnographic study about the largely misunderstood practice of American Heathenry (Germanic Paganism). Jennifer Snook�who has been Pagan since her early teens and a Heathen since eighteen�traces the development and trajectory of Heathenry as a new religious movement in America, one in which all identities are political and all politics matter. <P>Snook explores the complexities of pagan reconstruction in today�s divisive political climate. She considers the impact of social media on Heathen collectivities, and offers a glimpse of the world of Heathen meanings, rituals, and philosophy. <P>In <I>American Heathens</I>, Snook presents the stories and perspectives of modern practitioners in engaging detail. She treats Heathens as members of a religious movement, rather than simply a subculture reenacting myths and stories of enchantment. Her book shrewdly addresses how people construct ethnicity in a reconstructionist (historically-minded) faith system with no central authority. <BR> <h2>Excerpt</h2><P>Excerpt available at <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress">www.temple.edu/tempress</a></p> <BR> <h2>Reviews</h2> <p><i>"Snook has written a superb insider account of the interesting issues surrounding the revival of pagan traditions among religiously disaffected Americans seeking to (re)construct identities as heathens.... Based on fieldwork, interviews, observation of rituals, and the author's own experiences as a longtime pagan/heathen, this study reveals Snook as a skilled ethno-anthropologist. This is a helpful and needed guide to this diverse and fascinating subculture. Summing Up: Highly recommended."</i><br>&#151<b><i>CHOICE</i></b> <p><i>"This insightful and detailed study, based on fieldwork, interviews, and online research, addresses a few of the most pressing aspects of contemporary religious movements and Heathenry.... </i>American Heathens<i> is an important read for scholars working on forms of contemporary paganism and those interested in specific discourses on race in the U.S. The study does much to elevate the terms of debate around the role of racism and nationalism in New Religious Movements. Its careful methodology and thoughtful analysis are exemplary, and its appearance should inspire more nuanced scholarly discussions of paganism."</i><br>&#151<b><i>Western Folklore</i></b> <p><i>"</i>American Heathens<i> provides both an overview of the various discourses, practices, and social networks that constitute the Heathen current in the United States, as well as analyses of that current in terms of social constructivist theory.... [The] topics are all treated with great care and nuance�yielding insightful analyses of facets of a new religious movement of increasing global importance that has not previously been explored by any within academia.... [T]he academic merits and complete novelty in terms of the subject of </i>American Heathens<i> makes it required reading for any scholars engaging with contemporary Neopaganism in general or with Heathenry in particular."</i><br>&#151<b><i>Nova Religio</i></b> <BR> <h2>Contents</h2><P> <p>Preface <br> <br>1. Becoming Heathen <br>  Mapping the Neopagan Landscape <br>  <i>American Heathenry 101</i> <br>  <i>American Heathenry in Scholarship and the Media</i> <br>  The Influence of �the Political� <br>  Researching American Heathenry <br> <br>2. Fleeing the Cross and the Pentacle: Resistance and Opposition in the Maintenance of Collective Identity <br>  Not Like Them: Constructing Identity Through the Not-Self <br>  <i>Resisting Oppression: Opposition to the Mainstream</i> <br>  <i>Negotiating Authenticity: Opposition to the Alternatives</i> <br>  Boundaries in Contradiction <br> <br>3. Neo-Heathens and Reconstructionists: The Project and Problems of Constructing a Heathen Nomos <br>  Shame: The Social Mechanics of a Social Emotion <br>  Authenticity Wars: Innovation Versus Historical Accuracy <br>  The (De)Construction of Community and Equality <br>  Heathen Practices: Creating a Socioreligious Foundation <br>  Heathen Fluff: Contested Realms of Authenticity <br>  <i>The Hammer Rite: (In)Authenticity and Community Practice</i> <br>  <i>The Nine Noble Virtues: Authenticity and Community Norms</i> <br>  <i>The Loki Debate</i> <br>  <i>Patron Deities and Spiritual Seekers</i> <br> <br>4. Cyber Hofs and Armchair Vikings: Building Community through Social Networks (but Not without Problems) <br>  Religion and Virtual Spaces <br>  The Influence of the Virtual on Modern Heathenry <br>  <i>Formal Heathen Organizations: Politics and Bureaucracy</i> <br>  <i>Local Tribes</i> <br>  <i>Diffuse Groups</i> <br>  <i>The Virtual</i> Hof <br>  Virtual Battles and Community Politics <br> <br>5. Valkyries and Frithweavers: Women�s Shifting Roles�from Warriors to Domestic Caretakers <br>  Reframing Gender and Resistance <br>  Reading History: Finding a Place for Heathen Women <br>  Navigating Gender: The Masculine Ethic <br>  <i>No Fluffy Bunnies Allowed</i> <br>  <i>Politicizing Gender: Feminism Meets Antifeminism</i> <br>  <i>Resistance to Patriarchy</i> <br>  <i>Frith and Domesticity: The Sacred Mundane</i> <br>  Wisewomen: Seidkonas and V�lvas <br> <br>6. Honoring the Ancestors: Dealing with Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Whiteness in Constructing an Ethnic Folkway <br>  Who Gets to Be Heathen? Race, Ethnicity, and Belonging <br>  �White� Ethnic Identity <br>  Negotiating Racism, Pride, and Faith <br>  <i>American Heathenry as an Indigenous Tradition</i> <br>  <i>Honoring the Ancestors: Constructing Bloodlines</i> <br>  <i>American Heathenry as a Spiritual System</i> <br>  <i>Tribalism: Depoliticizing American Heathenry</i> <br>  <i>American Heathenry as an Ethnic Folkway</i> <br>  Navigating Race: The Folkish versus Universalist Dichotomy <br>  Identity: Textual Constructions of Antiracism and Belonging <br> <br>7. The Long Journey <br>  The Conundrum of American Reconstructionist Faith <br>  Collective Identity and Belonging <br>  When Heathens Go Virtual <br>  Challenging Notions of Gender <br>  Examining Whiteness and the �Folk� <br> <br>Notes <br>Glossary of (American) Heathen Terms <br>Index </P><BR> <H2>About the Author(s)</H2> <P><b>Jennifer Snook</b> is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Mississippi.</P> <BR><H2>Subject Categories</H2> <p><A HREF="/tempress/sociology.html" TARGET="_top">Sociology</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/religion.html" TARGET="_top">Religion</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/anthropology.html" TARGET="_top">Anthropology</a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9781439910962&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><font face="Arial" size="1"><a href="copyright.html" onMouseOver="window.status='Web Copyright Policy';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Web Copyright Policy">©</a> 2017 <a href="http://www.temple.edu" target="new" onMouseOver="window.status='Link to Temple University home page';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Link to Temple University home page">Temple University</a>. 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