Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Modern Paganism, 2016
Simpson explores how “nativeness” is construed in the worldview of Polish Rodzimowierstwo, a poly... more Simpson explores how “nativeness” is construed in the worldview of Polish Rodzimowierstwo, a polytheistic spirituality based in pre-Christian Slavic traditions which emphasizes the use of historically and ethnographically reliable sources, specifically those considered “native.” Simpson argues that an understanding of nativeness within Rodzimowierstwo often falls in concentric circles—tribal (local), national (Polish), and ethno-linguistic (Slavic)—which may be variously applied in appropriate circumstances. Nativeness may or may not find political expression in Rodzimowierstwo, and may be expressed in cultural forms such as native music or food. Rather than an inflexible category, nativeness is a discursive tool used to help filter, adapt, and repurpose the incoming changes the contemporary world offers.
Polish Rodzimowiercy frequently endorse a form of gender essentialism. Males and females are seen... more Polish Rodzimowiercy frequently endorse a form of gender essentialism. Males and females are seen to have essentially equal but different roles in life. In seeking appropriate gender models, male Rodzimowiercy use at least four sets of paradigms: natural and biological phenomena as signposts towards proper behavior; the roles of pre-Christian and rural society as models for behavior; modern Rodzimowierstwo leaders and elders as models for behavior; and Gods as archetypical exemplars of character and behavior. Polytheism offers multiple models of masculinity which can be emulated by mortal men, as appropriate to different circumstances and stages of life. Even if the models for male and female behavior are essentially different, they are not essentially singular models for each.
The individuals who make up Polish Rodzimowierstwo (Slavic Native Faith) religious communities ar... more The individuals who make up Polish Rodzimowierstwo (Slavic Native Faith) religious communities are constantly faced with decisions about which strategies they wish to pursue in order to maintain and develop their religious worldview and way of life. This chapter provides a brief overview of some of the strategies which are available to them in creating organizational structures for their communities, including state-registered religious religious organizations, clubs, foundations, businesses, and others. Many communities eschew any kind of formal organization. New developments are likely to occur in response to new challenges of twenty-first-century life and new ways of dealing with an increasingly interconnected world.
K. Aitamurto, S. Simpson (eds.) 2013. Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe [Studies in Contemporary and Historical Paganism], p. 27-43, Acumen Publishing Ltd, 2013
Readers of this volume encounter a colorful spectrum of vocabulary used to identify religious pra... more Readers of this volume encounter a colorful spectrum of vocabulary used to identify religious practices from a number of Central and Eastern European (CEE) languages. Some will look like pure jabberwocky to English-speaking readers: Újpogányság, Neoyazychnytstvo, Rodzimowierstwo. Yet such terms cannot be simply and completely replaced by English translations. For example, the majority of the adherents of contemporary Slavic spirituality currently call their religion “Native Faith” (Ukr: Ridnovirstvo, Rus: Rodnoverie, Pol: Rodzimowierstwo, Cz: Rodnověří), and this term has its own separate history and associations in local languages. This chapter provides definitions and etymologies of selected words in various linguistic forms that allow us to unpack some of their anthropological and sociological issues.
Stakeholders in these words have different sets of issues. Etic scholars need precise and practical definitions, clear-cut taxonomies, and opportunities to make connections and comparisons with regional or theoretical issues. Emic practitioners are concerned about issues that are ultimately private, such as self-identity, ambition, or feeling that one's choice of names properly honors ancestors and gods. But in the public sphere, the choices of words and labels are akin to “brand management” for religions. An important theme in this chapter involves changing exonyms into endonyms and reclaiming pejoratives as positive identities. But even terms developed by the groups themselves, such as Ridna Vira, can undergo strong influences from many stakeholders and be applied differently than their inventors intended.
Today, vodka is an important element in Polish national identity. The distillation of wine was kn... more Today, vodka is an important element in Polish national identity. The distillation of wine was known to a small number of Polish physicians and scholars by the end of the 13th century, but widespread popularity of distillates as beverages did not come earlier than the end of the 16th century. Grain vodkas, in particular rye vodkas, have been an important part of Polish culture since at least the early 17th century. Polish potato vodkas arose in the late 18th century and dominated production in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but then fell to minimal levels.
Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Modern Paganism, 2016
Simpson explores how “nativeness” is construed in the worldview of Polish Rodzimowierstwo, a poly... more Simpson explores how “nativeness” is construed in the worldview of Polish Rodzimowierstwo, a polytheistic spirituality based in pre-Christian Slavic traditions which emphasizes the use of historically and ethnographically reliable sources, specifically those considered “native.” Simpson argues that an understanding of nativeness within Rodzimowierstwo often falls in concentric circles—tribal (local), national (Polish), and ethno-linguistic (Slavic)—which may be variously applied in appropriate circumstances. Nativeness may or may not find political expression in Rodzimowierstwo, and may be expressed in cultural forms such as native music or food. Rather than an inflexible category, nativeness is a discursive tool used to help filter, adapt, and repurpose the incoming changes the contemporary world offers.
Polish Rodzimowiercy frequently endorse a form of gender essentialism. Males and females are seen... more Polish Rodzimowiercy frequently endorse a form of gender essentialism. Males and females are seen to have essentially equal but different roles in life. In seeking appropriate gender models, male Rodzimowiercy use at least four sets of paradigms: natural and biological phenomena as signposts towards proper behavior; the roles of pre-Christian and rural society as models for behavior; modern Rodzimowierstwo leaders and elders as models for behavior; and Gods as archetypical exemplars of character and behavior. Polytheism offers multiple models of masculinity which can be emulated by mortal men, as appropriate to different circumstances and stages of life. Even if the models for male and female behavior are essentially different, they are not essentially singular models for each.
The individuals who make up Polish Rodzimowierstwo (Slavic Native Faith) religious communities ar... more The individuals who make up Polish Rodzimowierstwo (Slavic Native Faith) religious communities are constantly faced with decisions about which strategies they wish to pursue in order to maintain and develop their religious worldview and way of life. This chapter provides a brief overview of some of the strategies which are available to them in creating organizational structures for their communities, including state-registered religious religious organizations, clubs, foundations, businesses, and others. Many communities eschew any kind of formal organization. New developments are likely to occur in response to new challenges of twenty-first-century life and new ways of dealing with an increasingly interconnected world.
K. Aitamurto, S. Simpson (eds.) 2013. Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe [Studies in Contemporary and Historical Paganism], p. 27-43, Acumen Publishing Ltd, 2013
Readers of this volume encounter a colorful spectrum of vocabulary used to identify religious pra... more Readers of this volume encounter a colorful spectrum of vocabulary used to identify religious practices from a number of Central and Eastern European (CEE) languages. Some will look like pure jabberwocky to English-speaking readers: Újpogányság, Neoyazychnytstvo, Rodzimowierstwo. Yet such terms cannot be simply and completely replaced by English translations. For example, the majority of the adherents of contemporary Slavic spirituality currently call their religion “Native Faith” (Ukr: Ridnovirstvo, Rus: Rodnoverie, Pol: Rodzimowierstwo, Cz: Rodnověří), and this term has its own separate history and associations in local languages. This chapter provides definitions and etymologies of selected words in various linguistic forms that allow us to unpack some of their anthropological and sociological issues.
Stakeholders in these words have different sets of issues. Etic scholars need precise and practical definitions, clear-cut taxonomies, and opportunities to make connections and comparisons with regional or theoretical issues. Emic practitioners are concerned about issues that are ultimately private, such as self-identity, ambition, or feeling that one's choice of names properly honors ancestors and gods. But in the public sphere, the choices of words and labels are akin to “brand management” for religions. An important theme in this chapter involves changing exonyms into endonyms and reclaiming pejoratives as positive identities. But even terms developed by the groups themselves, such as Ridna Vira, can undergo strong influences from many stakeholders and be applied differently than their inventors intended.
Today, vodka is an important element in Polish national identity. The distillation of wine was kn... more Today, vodka is an important element in Polish national identity. The distillation of wine was known to a small number of Polish physicians and scholars by the end of the 13th century, but widespread popularity of distillates as beverages did not come earlier than the end of the 16th century. Grain vodkas, in particular rye vodkas, have been an important part of Polish culture since at least the early 17th century. Polish potato vodkas arose in the late 18th century and dominated production in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but then fell to minimal levels.
We cordially invite you to participate in the academic conference Family, Home, and Ways of Life:... more We cordially invite you to participate in the academic conference Family, Home, and Ways of Life: Living Paganisms in a Globalized World conference, which will take place in Kraków on 24 – 25 March 2017.
How does contemporary Paganism influences believers’ everyday life and lifestyle, starting from family life, relationships, raising children, interactions at workplace, and ending on lifestyle choices such as musical preferences, clothing, dietary habits, or hobbies. What are the ways and strategies for living everyday religion for contemporary Pagans? In which ways do they face issues similar to those of their neighbours in other denominations, and in which ways do Pagans face relatively distinct and different problems? How do Pagans see themselves vis-à-vis the majority of their fellow citizens who follow a larger world religion? Are contemporary Pagans more attached to their society’s mainstream ideas, behaviour and traditions (like received cultural patterns for family relations, housing, employment, consumption), or are they more countercultural in their daily thoughts and actions?
You are invited to submit an abstract for a chapter in a new book on food and drink in Contempora... more You are invited to submit an abstract for a chapter in a new book on food and drink in Contemporary Paganism. In this project, we will include an international and interdisciplinary selection of authors and subjects, embracing a variety of Contemporary Pagan traditions on a topic of fundamental human interest: eating and drinking. In keeping with editorial standards, chapter submissions must be academic in style and methodology, and engage whenever possible with ongoing academic dialogues. At the same time, given that the topic is food and drink, we would like to also suggest that all of the project's authors, in addition to the usual academic article, submit a recipe related to the topic of their chapter which will be included in the appendix of the book. A feast for the mind, and possibly for the palate and stomach as well! We hope that you will join us at the table.
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Stakeholders in these words have different sets of issues. Etic scholars need precise and practical definitions, clear-cut taxonomies, and opportunities to make connections and comparisons with regional or theoretical issues. Emic practitioners are concerned about issues that are ultimately private, such as self-identity, ambition, or feeling that one's choice of names properly honors ancestors and gods. But in the public sphere, the choices of words and labels are akin to “brand management” for religions. An important theme in this chapter involves changing exonyms into endonyms and reclaiming pejoratives as positive identities. But even terms developed by the groups themselves, such as Ridna Vira, can undergo strong influences from many stakeholders and be applied differently than their inventors intended.
Stakeholders in these words have different sets of issues. Etic scholars need precise and practical definitions, clear-cut taxonomies, and opportunities to make connections and comparisons with regional or theoretical issues. Emic practitioners are concerned about issues that are ultimately private, such as self-identity, ambition, or feeling that one's choice of names properly honors ancestors and gods. But in the public sphere, the choices of words and labels are akin to “brand management” for religions. An important theme in this chapter involves changing exonyms into endonyms and reclaiming pejoratives as positive identities. But even terms developed by the groups themselves, such as Ridna Vira, can undergo strong influences from many stakeholders and be applied differently than their inventors intended.
How does contemporary Paganism influences believers’ everyday life and lifestyle, starting from family life, relationships, raising children, interactions at workplace, and ending on lifestyle choices such as musical preferences, clothing, dietary habits, or hobbies. What are the ways and strategies for living everyday religion for contemporary Pagans? In which ways do they face issues similar to those of their neighbours in other denominations, and in which ways do Pagans face relatively distinct and different problems? How do Pagans see themselves vis-à-vis the majority of their fellow citizens who follow a larger world religion? Are contemporary Pagans more attached to their society’s mainstream ideas, behaviour and traditions (like received cultural patterns for family relations, housing, employment, consumption), or are they more countercultural in their daily thoughts and actions?