The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture

by Aloi,Peg; Johnston,Hannah E.

• ISBN13: 9780754657842
• ISBN10: 0754657841
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2017-05-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

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. The 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.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Ronald Hutton

Introduction

Histories and Reflections of Contemporary

Teenage Witchcraft: The pagan explosion: an overview of select census and survey data

The perennial teen witch: a discussion of teenage interest in modern pagan witchcraft

Becoming a witch: changing paths of conversion in contemporary witchcraft

The discovery of witchcraft: an exploration of the changing face of witchcraft through contemporary interview and personal reflection

Minor arcane and the inclusion of adolescent psycho-spirituality within the British pagan community

Teenage Voices: Accounts from the Field: Becoming a witch: my story

Oreos, Orishas and others: a personal account of being a teenage witch

Texts, Influences and Practices in Teen Witchcraft: Vanquishing the victim: discourses of dis/empowerment in 1990s teenage witchcraft

A 'charming spell': the intentional and unintentional influence of popular media upon teenage witchcraft in America

Teen witchcraft and Silver Ravenwolf: the internet and its impact on community opinion

Wise young women: beliefs, values and influences in the adoption of witchcraft by teenage girls in England

Index

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