Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America (Contemporary Ethnography) (Paperback)

by Sabina Magliocco (Author) "On a moonless night in October, five Witches walk silently along the quiet Berkeley streets until they come to a place where three roads come..." (more)
Key Phrases: folklore reclamation, vernacular magic, heretic heart, North America, San Francisco Bay Area, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...empathetic, yet critical description... makes the book one of the most balanced and enjoyable readings in the blooming genre. -- Religious Studies Review, January 2006

Intimate tone and attention to detail...the book is characterized by a delicate balance between critical insider and sympathetic outsider. -- The Journal of the Royal Anhtropological Institute, March 2006 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Magliocco impressively corrals the diverse writings and experiences of U.S. neo-pagans into this highly readable and deeply researched ethnographic study. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (May 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812218795
• ISBN-13: 978-0812218794
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #436,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Improves on Hutton and Pike. Well written and recommended., March 23, 2005

By	Christopher W. Chase "Christopher W. Chase" (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sabina Magliocco's "Witching Culture" is quite possibly the most significant volume on Contemporary Pagan Culture to have been written in several years. Magliocco, author of an earlier volume on Neo-Pagan Art and Altars, has filled in several gaps left by Ronald Hutton and Sarah Pike, authors of important recent works in their own right.

The real strength of Magliocco's approach lies in her combined historical and folkloric approaches to cultural formation. Nods to other theoretical approaches are made, especially in her discussion of Paganism as a culturally oppositional discourse (James Scott, Todorov, Gramsci) but for the most part her own theoretical approaches are interwoven with her content so as to produce a seamless integration.

As I noted, her attention to the categories of the Other, both as conceived from Christian heritage and the Enlightenment's 'God of Reason,' are set up as the early framework of the book, along with valuable summations of early Hermeticism, medieval ritual magic, Renaissance Humanism, and 19th C. Romanticism to show the contributions of each era to contemporary Paganism. In this she avoids Hutton's obsession with the British 19th century and yet misses much of Hutton's focus on cunning-folk and those more vernacular traditions. Magliocco's work is more concerned with those who wrote on those traditions, and how those writings (Leland, Murray, Gardner) were used as a crucible to create contemporary Paganism.

Excellent portions of the book also focus on energy, magic, naming and ritual, as well as the historical and folkloric contributions to the formations of these much-used categories by contemporary Pagans. In addition, this is the first volume I am aware of to treat music and song in such depth. Two main aspects of song are treated--ritual uses (echoing her earlier scholarly articles on the subject with Holly Tannen) and educational uses--that is, teaching modes of thought and interpretation common to Pagans. While these are not the only important functions of Pagan song, these are the most important aspects for her work, for she concentrates on community identity and maintenance. Partly because of her concern with boundary formation and maintenance, her work engages little with New Age religiosity, and instead concentrates on flash points such as cultural appropriation issues with indigenous peoples, especially Amerindians. Again, given the existing literature, this is a plus, rather than a minus.

If there are drawbacks to her work, they are similar to other important works in the field. Most of the book concentrates on Wicca, witchcraft, Feri, Reclaiming and New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn (NROOGD), all closely connected with dominant structures in the Eastern part of the U.S. Other facets of contemporary Paganism, such as Druidry, Pagan Vodoun, Church of All Worlds, and Asatru/Vanatru, draw significantly less attention. But as these are numerically proportionately less of the wider community, their comparative marginalization is understandable in a study like this.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent examination, July 6, 2005

By	Freysson "freysson" (McDonough, Ga USA) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent examination and introduction to the study of the Wicccan culture. Combining personal tales with more traditional folklore techniques and commentary she crafts a compelling exploration of many of the questions that those who are not primarily interested in belief systems per se are interested in. If you want to have insight into what Wiccans are interested in and how they relate this is the book.

If I have any criticism it is that she tends to narrow her focus to a few specific traditions. I was left wondering the changes that might be seen as the population of Wiccans changes from a tradition or coven centered to that of the more eclectic solitary population, and how are the "traditionalists" reacting to the changes.

This however is an easily overlooked concern as she covers the her topic well and with obvious relish as well as with the eye of the trained observer.

Very Well Done.

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Academic Study, June 24, 2007

By	Daniel Raphael - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Though this book was written for academic purposes and shows corresponding literary telltales, it is quite accessible and has several outstanding features. The best thing about the book is that the author did not just do an academic survey--she immersed herself in the Bay Area Wiccan culture, and presents first-hand descriptions of what she discovered. Her description of public rituals in the New Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn, Reclaiming, and at least one other tradition, are informative to those who wonder but do not know what Wiccan religious rites look like. In addition, she provides insight into how and why the people she interviewed were drawn to Wicca, thus complementing the observations of visible Craft with some inward explanation.