Solitary Pagans: Contemporary Witches Wiccans and Others Who Practice Alone
"Fifteen years after her revolutionary Pagan Census, sociologist and contemporary pagan expert Berger (Brandeis Univ.) presents findings from her new, expanded survey, Pagan Census Revisited. Drawing on this new data, Berger examines the growing movement of contemporary pagans who practice alone instead of practicing in traditional groups. The author examines solitary pagans in depth, with particular attention to their practices, social engagements, beliefs, and growth. She looks at how changes in survey methods and easier access to books and the internet has allowed researchers to delve deeper in paganism to discover a significant increase in solitary practitioners and the increase in rural pagans. The gathering and decimation of this data is a notable feat due to the often hidden nature of pagan worship. Data are presented by demographics and compared to those of group practitioners and those in the UK and Canada. With its well-presented, accessible information, this volume is an excellent addition to the literature on pagan studies and on religion more broadly" - A. Sheppard, Arkansas State University, Choice, February 2020
"Helen Berger has produced a first-rate study of the most important form of modern Paganism, making her the leading authority upon it."―Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol
"This authoritative survey of contemporary paganism combines sympathetic portrayal with rich new data... It will be the new reference point for anyone interested in this rapidly-growing religious milieu."―Linda Woodhead, Research Fellow, Stanford University; Lancaster University
"This book should be owned and read by scholars of religions in America, new religions studies, and contemporary Pagan studies. It needs to be in every university and college library."―Catherine Wessinger, Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions, Loyola University
