Monograph by Jefferson Calico
Contemporary Paganism has been a growing segment of American religiosity for over forty years. He... more Contemporary Paganism has been a growing segment of American religiosity for over forty years. Heathenism, also known as Ásatrú (Asatru), is an increasingly prominent Pagan movement seeking to revive the practice of pre-Christian Norse religion.
Being Viking provides a rigorous account of the Asatru religion in America, drawing on five years of original ethnographic fieldwork among American Heathen adherents. The book expands our understanding of this religious movement and its place in the American religious context. Asatru is a reconstructionist form of contemporary Paganism, deriving its sacred stories, polytheism, and religious culture from an interaction with the ancient Paganisms of pre-Christian northwestern Europe. Yet, contemporary tributaries shape the movement’s reception of the past and its enactment of the ideas and practices discovered there. American Heathenism encompasses a diversity of approaches and offers a distinctive counterpoint to some of the characteristic patterns of religious life found in other forms of contemporary Paganism. Being Viking examines the complex interaction of new and old that influences Asatru symbolism, spirituality, and social organization.
In addition to describing its rich religious ideology, Being Viking sets the movement within the context of contemporary American culture. Heathenism is a movement providing creative religious solutions to the tensions experienced by Americans. This study addresses several points of tension, including the socially isolating effects of modernity, women’s roles, epistemology, and human relationships with nature. Ancient Norse ideas mingle with modernity to create new modes of living in the contemporary world. Heathenism is emerging as a viable and complex religion that achieves a degree of cultural continuity by reinvigorating certain American values. In this light, Asatru is a new American religion that incorporates and adapts important cultural values while at the same time challenging assumptions about new religions.
Book Chapters by Jefferson Calico
Paganism and its Discontents, 2020
This chapter examines a "brand" of white nationalist Norse Paganism that has emerged in American ... more This chapter examines a "brand" of white nationalist Norse Paganism that has emerged in American folkish Heathenry. "American Völkisch" is a pastiche that draws together ideas and images from the German Völkisch and Nazi-eras, Traditionalist philosophy, and American-style racism. The brand is marketed through religious performances designed to engage the imaginations of Heathens and white Americans. I look closely at the career of Stephen A. McNallen and describe how his performance of Heathen religiosity over the years has contributed to the development of American Völkisch.
“Performing American Völkisch.” In Paganism and its Distcontents, edited by Holli S. Emore and Jonanthan M. Leader, 22-46. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishers, 2020.
Book Reviews by Jefferson Calico
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2019
Runes and runic divination in particular have been areas of long-standing interest among Pagans. ... more Runes and runic divination in particular have been areas of long-standing interest among Pagans. Two new books of runes take readers beyond divination into less familiar territory and are worth attention for the ways in which they reflect broader themes in Pagan studies. Analyzing contemporary Pagan literature around the runes could provide something of a "core sample" for Pagan religious history. With their distinctive approaches to the runes, Harrell's Runic Book of Days and Pennick's Wyrdstaves of Old Northumbria indicate the usefulness of this sort of literary analysis.
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2016
"While I find numerous points of contention with McNallen, he has proven a consistent spokesperso... more "While I find numerous points of contention with McNallen, he has proven a consistent spokesperson for his religious vision. McNallen’s authentic voice and personal charisma come through in this book, making it a clear and accessible argument for the folkish Heathen movement."
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2018
"This scholarship is immensely valuable, especially for readers who,
like some Americans, may b... more "This scholarship is immensely valuable, especially for readers who,
like some Americans, may be less familiar with these European sources
and history. Schnurbein details the work of numerous völkisch think-
ers and reveals the extent to which contemporary Heathenry has been
reliant upon these precursors. She approaches Heathenry as an inter-
national network, laying out the sources, personalities, and inter-
pretive methods that Heathen movements share across national and
cultural contexts. She is also unequivocal in her critical framework
and warns against lapses in critical analysis that gloss over or obscure
völkisch memes."
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies , 2019
"For observers of contemporary Heathenism, the
book offers the most intellectually robust inter... more "For observers of contemporary Heathenism, the
book offers the most intellectually robust interpretation of Germanic
history that has emerged from folkish Heathenry and thus marks an
important development within the intellectual history of the movement."
Papers by Jefferson Calico
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2024
In 2015, the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), the flag-carrier of folkish Heathenry around the world, ... more In 2015, the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), the flag-carrier of folkish Heathenry around the world, purchased a property in California to
establish its first temple, Odinshof. Since that time, it has purchased additional properties across the United States and established hofs on those properties. As a result, there has arisen some controversy and opposition to the AFA’s presence, even making international news. Critics fear the spread of hate and racism under the guise of religion, while the AFA sees property ownership as protecting its religious freedom. This raises questions about the role of property in Pagan and Heathen religion and for minority religions more broadly. Who belongs? Who gets marginalized? And to whom does religious freedom extend? In the American context, property ownership is fundamental to social belonging. By purchasing property, the AFA is making a claim to belonging and establishing itself as part of the American society.
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2019
The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2016
Religion, State and Society, 2016
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2019
Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies
"For observers of contemporary Heathenism, the book offers the most intellectually robus... more "For observers of contemporary Heathenism, the book offers the most intellectually robust interpretation of Germanic history that has emerged from folkish Heathenry and thus marks an important development within the intellectual history of the movement."
Lexington Herald-Leader, Dec 21, 2013
Teaching Documents by Jefferson Calico
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Monograph by Jefferson Calico
Being Viking provides a rigorous account of the Asatru religion in America, drawing on five years of original ethnographic fieldwork among American Heathen adherents. The book expands our understanding of this religious movement and its place in the American religious context. Asatru is a reconstructionist form of contemporary Paganism, deriving its sacred stories, polytheism, and religious culture from an interaction with the ancient Paganisms of pre-Christian northwestern Europe. Yet, contemporary tributaries shape the movement’s reception of the past and its enactment of the ideas and practices discovered there. American Heathenism encompasses a diversity of approaches and offers a distinctive counterpoint to some of the characteristic patterns of religious life found in other forms of contemporary Paganism. Being Viking examines the complex interaction of new and old that influences Asatru symbolism, spirituality, and social organization.
In addition to describing its rich religious ideology, Being Viking sets the movement within the context of contemporary American culture. Heathenism is a movement providing creative religious solutions to the tensions experienced by Americans. This study addresses several points of tension, including the socially isolating effects of modernity, women’s roles, epistemology, and human relationships with nature. Ancient Norse ideas mingle with modernity to create new modes of living in the contemporary world. Heathenism is emerging as a viable and complex religion that achieves a degree of cultural continuity by reinvigorating certain American values. In this light, Asatru is a new American religion that incorporates and adapts important cultural values while at the same time challenging assumptions about new religions.
Book Chapters by Jefferson Calico
“Performing American Völkisch.” In Paganism and its Distcontents, edited by Holli S. Emore and Jonanthan M. Leader, 22-46. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishers, 2020.
Book Reviews by Jefferson Calico
like some Americans, may be less familiar with these European sources
and history. Schnurbein details the work of numerous völkisch think-
ers and reveals the extent to which contemporary Heathenry has been
reliant upon these precursors. She approaches Heathenry as an inter-
national network, laying out the sources, personalities, and inter-
pretive methods that Heathen movements share across national and
cultural contexts. She is also unequivocal in her critical framework
and warns against lapses in critical analysis that gloss over or obscure
völkisch memes."
book offers the most intellectually robust interpretation of Germanic
history that has emerged from folkish Heathenry and thus marks an
important development within the intellectual history of the movement."
Papers by Jefferson Calico
establish its first temple, Odinshof. Since that time, it has purchased additional properties across the United States and established hofs on those properties. As a result, there has arisen some controversy and opposition to the AFA’s presence, even making international news. Critics fear the spread of hate and racism under the guise of religion, while the AFA sees property ownership as protecting its religious freedom. This raises questions about the role of property in Pagan and Heathen religion and for minority religions more broadly. Who belongs? Who gets marginalized? And to whom does religious freedom extend? In the American context, property ownership is fundamental to social belonging. By purchasing property, the AFA is making a claim to belonging and establishing itself as part of the American society.
Teaching Documents by Jefferson Calico
Being Viking provides a rigorous account of the Asatru religion in America, drawing on five years of original ethnographic fieldwork among American Heathen adherents. The book expands our understanding of this religious movement and its place in the American religious context. Asatru is a reconstructionist form of contemporary Paganism, deriving its sacred stories, polytheism, and religious culture from an interaction with the ancient Paganisms of pre-Christian northwestern Europe. Yet, contemporary tributaries shape the movement’s reception of the past and its enactment of the ideas and practices discovered there. American Heathenism encompasses a diversity of approaches and offers a distinctive counterpoint to some of the characteristic patterns of religious life found in other forms of contemporary Paganism. Being Viking examines the complex interaction of new and old that influences Asatru symbolism, spirituality, and social organization.
In addition to describing its rich religious ideology, Being Viking sets the movement within the context of contemporary American culture. Heathenism is a movement providing creative religious solutions to the tensions experienced by Americans. This study addresses several points of tension, including the socially isolating effects of modernity, women’s roles, epistemology, and human relationships with nature. Ancient Norse ideas mingle with modernity to create new modes of living in the contemporary world. Heathenism is emerging as a viable and complex religion that achieves a degree of cultural continuity by reinvigorating certain American values. In this light, Asatru is a new American religion that incorporates and adapts important cultural values while at the same time challenging assumptions about new religions.
“Performing American Völkisch.” In Paganism and its Distcontents, edited by Holli S. Emore and Jonanthan M. Leader, 22-46. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishers, 2020.
like some Americans, may be less familiar with these European sources
and history. Schnurbein details the work of numerous völkisch think-
ers and reveals the extent to which contemporary Heathenry has been
reliant upon these precursors. She approaches Heathenry as an inter-
national network, laying out the sources, personalities, and inter-
pretive methods that Heathen movements share across national and
cultural contexts. She is also unequivocal in her critical framework
and warns against lapses in critical analysis that gloss over or obscure
völkisch memes."
book offers the most intellectually robust interpretation of Germanic
history that has emerged from folkish Heathenry and thus marks an
important development within the intellectual history of the movement."
establish its first temple, Odinshof. Since that time, it has purchased additional properties across the United States and established hofs on those properties. As a result, there has arisen some controversy and opposition to the AFA’s presence, even making international news. Critics fear the spread of hate and racism under the guise of religion, while the AFA sees property ownership as protecting its religious freedom. This raises questions about the role of property in Pagan and Heathen religion and for minority religions more broadly. Who belongs? Who gets marginalized? And to whom does religious freedom extend? In the American context, property ownership is fundamental to social belonging. By purchasing property, the AFA is making a claim to belonging and establishing itself as part of the American society.