The New Generation Witches

From the shelves of mainstream bookstores and the pages of teen magazines, to popular films and television series, contemporary culture at the turn of the 21st century has been fascinated with teenage identity and the presence of magic and the occult. Alongside this profusion of products and representations, a global network of teenage Witches has emerged on the margins of adult Neo-Pagan Witchcraft communities, identifying themselves through various spiritual practices, consumption patterns and lifestyle choices. "New Generation Witches" is the first published anthology to investigate the recent rise of the teenage Witchcraft phenomenon in both Britain and North America. Scholars from Theology, Cultural Studies, Sociology, History and Media Studies, along with Neo-Pagan commentators outside of the academy, come together to investigate the experiences of thousands of adolescents constructing an enabling, magical identity through a distinctive practice of Witchcraft. The contributors discuss key areas of interest, inspiration and development within the teen Witch communities from the mid 1990s onward, including teenage Witches' magical practices and beliefs, gender politics, the formation and identification of communities, forums and modes of expression, media representation and new media outlets. Demonstrating the diversification and expansion of Neo-Paganism in the 21st Century, this anthology makes an exciting contribution to the field of Neo-Pagan Studies and contemporary youth cultures.

ISBN 0754657841   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9780754657842 (What's this?)   Pages 224 Publisher Ashgate Publishing Group   Volumes 001 Imprint Ashgate Publishing Limited   Published in Aldershot Format Hardback   Series title Controversial New Religions Publication date 28 Oct 2007   Height (mm) 234 Library of Congress BF1571.5   Width (mm) 156 DEWEY 299.940835   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

		Introduction by Peg Aloi and Hannah E. Johnston		1
1		The Pagan Explosion: An overview of select census and survey data by James R. Lewis		13
2		The Perennial Teen Witch: A discussion of teenage interest in modern pagan Witchcraft by Melissa Harrington		25
3		Becoming a Witch: Changing paths of conversion in contemporary Witchcraft by Douglas Ezzy and Helen A. Berger		41
4		The Discovery of Witchcraft: An exploration of the changing face of Witchcraft through contemporary interview and personal reflection by Julian Vayne		57
5		Minor Arcana and the Inclusion of Adolescent Psycho-spirituality within the British Pagan Community by Matthew Hannam		73
6		Becoming a Witch: My story by Heather Jenkins		85
7		Oreos, Orishas, and Others: A personal account of being a teenage Witch by Morboriel Parthenos		89
8		Vanquishing the Victim: Discourses of dis/empowerment in 1990s teenage Witchcraft by Hannah E. Johnston		97
9		A Charming Spell: The intentional and unintentional influence of popular media upon teenage Witchcraft in America by Peg Aloi		113
10		Teen Witchcraft and Silver Raven Wolf: The Internet and its impact on community opinion by Stephanie Martin		129
11		Wise Young Women: Beliefs, values and influences in the adoption of Witchcraft by teenage girls in England by Denise Cush		139

 Be the first to write a customer review