Pagan Family Values

Childhood and the Religious Imagination in Contemporary American Paganism

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Other Practices
Cover of the book Pagan Family Values by S. Zohreh Kermani, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: S. Zohreh Kermani ISBN: 9780814745144
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: July 29, 2013
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: S. Zohreh Kermani
ISBN: 9780814745144
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: July 29, 2013
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

For most of its history, contemporary Paganism has been a religion of converts. Yet as it enters its fifth decade, it is incorporating growing numbers of second‑generation Pagans for whom Paganism is a family tradition, not a religious worldview arrived at via a spiritual quest. In Pagan Family Values, S. Zohreh Kermani explores the ways in which North American Pagan families pass on their beliefs to their children, and how the effort to socialize children influences this new religious movement.

The first ethnographic study of the everyday lives of contemporary Pagan families, this volume brings their experiences into conversation with contemporary issues in American religion. Through formal interviews with Pagan families, participant observation at various pagan events, and data collected via online surveys, Kermani traces the ways in which Pagan parents transmit their religious values to their children. Rather than seeking to pass along specific religious beliefs, Pagan parents tend to seek to instill values, such as religious tolerance and spiritual independence, that will remain with their children throughout their lives, regardless of these children's ultimate religious identifications.

Pagan parents tend to construct an idealized, magical childhood for their children that mirrors their ideal childhoods. The socialization of children thus becomes a means by which adults construct and make meaningful their own identities as Pagans. Kermani’s meticulous fieldwork and clear, engaging writing provide an illuminating look at parenting and religious expression in Pagan households and at how new religions pass on their beliefs to a new generation.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

For most of its history, contemporary Paganism has been a religion of converts. Yet as it enters its fifth decade, it is incorporating growing numbers of second‑generation Pagans for whom Paganism is a family tradition, not a religious worldview arrived at via a spiritual quest. In Pagan Family Values, S. Zohreh Kermani explores the ways in which North American Pagan families pass on their beliefs to their children, and how the effort to socialize children influences this new religious movement.

The first ethnographic study of the everyday lives of contemporary Pagan families, this volume brings their experiences into conversation with contemporary issues in American religion. Through formal interviews with Pagan families, participant observation at various pagan events, and data collected via online surveys, Kermani traces the ways in which Pagan parents transmit their religious values to their children. Rather than seeking to pass along specific religious beliefs, Pagan parents tend to seek to instill values, such as religious tolerance and spiritual independence, that will remain with their children throughout their lives, regardless of these children's ultimate religious identifications.

Pagan parents tend to construct an idealized, magical childhood for their children that mirrors their ideal childhoods. The socialization of children thus becomes a means by which adults construct and make meaningful their own identities as Pagans. Kermani’s meticulous fieldwork and clear, engaging writing provide an illuminating look at parenting and religious expression in Pagan households and at how new religions pass on their beliefs to a new generation.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Gender, Psychology, and Justice by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book The End Of Cinema As We Know It by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book New York, Year by Year by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book The Material Gene by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book The State of Play by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Comic Book Crime by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Policy Drift by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Pride in the Projects by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Boricua Power by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Your Ad Here by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Sex without Consent by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Crown of Thorns by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book Transitional Justice by S. Zohreh Kermani
Cover of the book The Color of Kink by S. Zohreh Kermani
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy