American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook
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American Heathens is the first in-depth ethnographic study about the largely misunderstood practice of American Heathenry (Germanic Paganism). Jennifer Snook—who has been Pagan since her early teens and a Heathen since eighteen—traces the development and trajectory of Heathenry as a new religious movement in America, one in which all identities are political and all politics matter. Snook explores the complexities of pagan reconstruction and racial, ethnic and gender identity in today’s divisive political climate. She considers the impact of social media on Heathen collectivities, and offers a glimpse of the world of Heathen meanings, rituals, and philosophy. In American Heathens, Snook presents the stories and perspectives of modern practitioners in engaging detail. She treats Heathens as members of a religious movement, rather than simply a subculture reenacting myths and stories of enchantment. Her book shrewdly addresses how people construct ethnicity in a reconstructionist (historically-minded) faith system with no central authority.
American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook - Amazon Sales Rank: #766832 in Books
- Brand: Snook, Jennifer
- Published on: 2015-06-12
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .70" w x 6.00" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 242 pages
American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook Review "Snook has written a superb insider account of the interesting issues surrounding the revival of pagan traditions among religiously disaffected Americans seeking to (re)construct identities as heathens.... Based on fieldwork, interviews, observation of rituals, and the author's own experiences as a longtime pagan/heathen, this study reveals Snook as a skilled ethno-anthropologist. This is a helpful and needed guide to this diverse and fascinating subculture. Summing Up: Highly recommended." —CHOICE
About the Author Jennifer Snook is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Mississippi.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. An essential work! By Soleil American Heathens is the book I have been seeking and hoping for since I became an active part of Heathenry well over a decade ago. This is an essential work that belongs in the personal libraries and as a part of the meaningful conversations that are had by every person engaged within this new religious movement. It is also a work that is currently unmatched in providing a truly in-depth and balanced examination of modern Heathenry to those seeking a better understanding of it in the American context and through an academic lens.Contrary to previous reviews, my experience in reading American Heathens did not include a perception of either a subtle or even overt political agenda by the author. Snook, while intimate in her introduction and in providing the details of her personal path within Heathenry, takes the appropriate steps back to deliver a truly unflinching and unbiased ethnographic offering. It is important here to note that some of the primary themes of the criticisms concerning her work are themselves quite politically charged and find their discontent in Snook’s lack of bias, at least in their preferred direction, or that she spends too little time focused on any of the sub-segments of Heathenry and their personal histories. These objections are not only counter intuitive to themselves, but on a positive note actually serve to reinforce what the author so successfully lays bare in her examination of American Heathenry – an evolving religion inextricably entangled in the complexities of American politics.Politics is at the root of what is both divisive and vital to American Heathenry- a movement that bucks the desire for a central authority, but then demands that some form of universal standards be established to solidify its identity. The author pushes this into focus by providing an honest assessment of all segments most representative of modern Heathenry in America, as any solid ethnographic work should. Unfortunately, I think for these very reasons her work is seemingly doomed to be haunted by very biased criticisms and/or overlooked because of them. What is captured in her book is a people struggling with the influences and combative nature of American culture, while attempting to set itself apart and yet not be homogenized.What keeps cropping up in the criticisms of her work are the very same highly passionate and divisive narratives that are the core challenges for modern Heathenry as documented in her book. Instead of being taken at its face value, the discussions surrounding this important piece have been either non-existent or extremely negative, but without the foundation of rationality. Emotion and bias have ruled the day, just as they appear to within our communities more often than not. Snook’s work hits all the hot spots, and in doing so has simultaneously revealed some of our greatest needs and opportunities for improvement and brought to the fore some of the best examples of why we are failing to do so in many ways.While it is my sincere hope that this book will not suffer as many other excellent works have by being undervalued in its own time, I am rather disappointed by the lack of meaningful and rational discourse concerning this invaluable piece of modern academia. This is not some elitist detached piece or the work of a "social warrior" - it is the study of a movement and its people through an unwavering dedication to both preserve and assess where we are in the here and now and posit what may lie ahead without change.American Heathens is challenging and necessary because it is not aimed at supporting or devaluing any sub-sect of Heathenry. Snook manages to successfully distill an evolving culture within a culture that is still struggling to shape their broader religious, and yes political, identity. She does so brilliantly and with the costly commitment necessary of all worthy scholarship.I am hopeful, in spite of the most recent reactions and rejections of this book, that it will ultimately find its place among other essential works and as a part of the constructive conversations and research that drive those immersed within Heathenry. While there is no shortage of modern works attempting to give foundation to the religious study and practice of Heathenry in our time – American Heathens delivers the first in-depth sociological examination of Heathenry as it has developed over the last few decades and is lived and practiced today in America.This work will stand the test of time and is a must for any serious practitioner or scholar of reconstructed paganism. Love it or hate it, get it and get talking about it!
25 of 33 people found the following review helpful. Yes…full of left-wing\feminist confirmation bias. Hate that stuff? You need to read this even MORE! By Joseph Koerner Fresh off the presses does “American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement” by University of Mississippi college professor Jennifer Snook come to my mailbox. I started to read and couldn’t put it down, finishing it in a day and half.Because I agree with all of it? Nope. I vehemently disagree with much of it, as you’ll soon read. Because I hated it and wanted to tear it apart? My initial impression was that would be my task, and you’ll find plenty of that here, but I also found many valid points to contemplate as well. Not since Nietzsche have I been so ambivalent about a book, yet I can’t deny its significance to American Heathenry. I am hoping this is the BEGINNING of a wider dialogue.Please excuse any involuntary expressions of passive-aggressive sarcasm or grim satire. I am Germanic, you know.After a brief introduction, Professor Snook gives us in the first chapter a history of her introduction into neo-Paganism which, given her feminist leanings, is unsurprisingly through Wiccanism, with its girl-power message, a bias the author continues to embody in the book, but in a lighter form than you will find from your average "Shieldmaiden", a term she thankfully avoids using to describe herself. Page 4 is the first mention of patriarchy, for instance, and the common argument “they just fear of loss of privilege” to explain differing opinions is repeatedly employed without further examination of the underlying argument (it is assumed prima facie true) or examination of whether it is applicable in the situation described. So too her assumptions of anti-essentialism, which for this philosophy major, was loading the agenda into the argument. This colors her discussion of how American politics, especially in the 2000s, has shaped American Heathenry distinct from European Heathenry. A valid synopsis of how Heathenry emerged from the ceremonial magic/Wiccan movements is followed by a slanted history of the Volkisch movement of the 19th-century (ignoring how left-wing parties used the rhetoric too, etc…). She even calls her Heathenry an “intersectional” religious project. Cue the Third Wave terminology.Chapter 2 explores the manners in which Heathens self-define themselves authentic, and judge others claiming the practice, based on how they are NOT Christians or NOT Wiccans. Our author continues her life narrative, reading the Malleus Malificorum (an Inquisitioner’s guidebook) as a tale of women’s oppression. Exposure to the literature of Heathen groups, biased in favor of the positive elements of being a (high-born/certainly not an ambatt) Heathen woman in Old Norse society attracts the author to the practice of Forn Sid. Three times throughout the book Professor cites Tacitus’s assertion that woman were seen as holier than men (without context of the Gallo-Roman perspective he was writing from) and no mentions of what he said happened to sexually unfaithful women (not exactly Steinem-approved), thus showing her sources cherry-picked to draw a feminist utopia. Interestingly, another Wiccan-come-Heathen reports she left her previous tradition because it was “too skewed toward the feminine” and “not balanced enough in taking personal responsibility”, two accusations that dog Heathen feminists to this day…as does the accusation of closeted Wiccanism. The author seems unaware she could be making the argument for her opposition.Chapter 3 discussed the notion of Reconstructionsm, and begins describing it with an example of it done very badly, with bombastic display and smoothed-over aftermath of the Battle of Teutoberg Wald. “Hypermasculinity” (the belief that it is part of being masculine to engage in and achieve things through violence) makes its first appearance in terms of cyber-bullying, but reappears as a critical term several times without any question of whether it does, in fact, fit a “reconstructed” Heathenry, as common reading of “the lore” might indicate when it is filled with invading warriors and revenge-seeking malcontents. The chapter ends with the deconstruction of four modern Heathen inventions: The Hammer Rite, The Nine Noble Virtues, The Loki Debate, and Patron Dieties/Spiritual Seekers. On each, the author gives an excellent, Reconstructionist-worthy, dissecting of these common practices, marred only by the lingering impression that anti-Lokean automatically means anti-gay or anti-transgendered, even after leading the section with multiple quotes from noted academics who agree Loki worship didn’t happen in ancient times. As a self-identified Reconstructionist myself, I’ve endured this accusation, and bristled at the notion that I must hate anyone to want a historically authentic (a term she uses quite accurately to explain the Recon mind's desire) Heathenry.In the fourth chapter, Professor Snook investigates the effects of the internet and social media on Heathenry, with its flame wars and “hypermasculine posturing”, again failing to see how this might be reconciled with a Reconstructionist perspective, at this point simply a synonym for “right-wing” to the author. Wanting as much historical accuracy as possible, in place of a political agenda one had BEFORE becoming Heathen, apparently makes one right-wing. This Prius-driving, Obama-voting, Reconstructionist finds that quite amusing. 'And that political agenda comes fully to the front in chapter five, with a feminist interpretation of the Ask/Embla story that forcefully asserts “Neither was created to serve the other”, a premise not in the lore nor supported further. Surprisingly, a more nuanced view suddenly emerges.“Throughout the discursive construction of gender, Heathens rely in large part on romanticized and idealized images from the lore, often portraying Viking society as a sort of feminist wonderland. The image of Old Norse women in history, however, reveals them as domestic laborers, sexual object, and political pawns. These discrepancies among the lore, historical sources, and modern interpretations remain largely unexamined in public Heathen discourse.”The author fails to see that the confirmation bias of her own style of is the reason for this, but it is genuinely refreshing to see an acknowledgement of the reality of most Heathen women in place of the usual Gimbutas-narrative-made-Viking. In fact, a Heathen named Ivor gets the Gimbutas narrative completely wrong, applying it to a time thousands of years after her (discredited by academics but still loved by feminist neo-pagans and feminist “scholars”) research puts his romantic vision of Celtic and Germanic women. Neither the author nor “Ivor” appear to realize that the Wiccan influence spoken of half a page before is present in their blind acceptance of the work of a long-superceded author. After feminist scholar Carol Glover is cited but not cited as feminist (or a Berkeley professor…which yes…matters), this leads to a discussion of the peer pressure Heathen women feel that “…a comfortable fit in Heathenry requires that women be assertive and often aggressive or at least appear to maintain the capability”, once again reflecting an inaccurate picture of the typical, historical, Heathen woman. One women even admits her impression was “Oh my gosh, I can’t be Heathen and not be a hard-core ball-crusher”. Some balance, however, is strived for by Professor Snook in the admittance that there is no hard evidence for shieldmaidens, even footnoting a Professor Leszek Gardela article I’ve been ballyhooed for presenting on multiple occasions. It will be interesting to see if Professor Snook is similarly decried or if its authority will be respected due to the new presenter.An explanation of the origins of the Viking Brotherhood as an anti-feminist phenomenon (many of us in Heathenry ARE seeking a positive masculine identity…is that anti-feminist?) sets up Professor Snook’s favorite target, Stephen McNallen, as the arch-villain of Heathen feminists and anti-racists. Her narrative of being rejected by the Asatru Folk Assembly dovetails obviously with her disdain of McNallen. Only one other right-wing figure is truly even addressed in the book, an obscure author named Mark Puryear (who she admits had little cred or influence, yet is referenced twice in the text) who is said to represent the thoughts of the Odinic Rite. Why not quote the Odinic Rite directly to support her accusation rather than some now-insignificant guy who wasn't even a member? Meanwhile, while the far more visual (and obviously right-wing) figure of Valgard Murray only gets a light scathing in the footnotes. One cannot help to see a personal animosity driving the words as they lay down upon the page.Hopeful content continues the passages as the shift away from “warrior religion” to “cultural religion” occurs in Heathenry, with its new emphasis on family. One Heathen woman proclaims, “You know, I see a lot of only a woman who acts like this can be considered a strong woman. And I’m like “No, it doesn’t work that way.”. Makes my heart hopeful to read these words. Find me this woman and I will treat her like Asynjur!It is followed by this latent admission of the feminist bias inherent the author’s work.“Not all Heathens buy into this construction of gender, arguing the from the sociological standpoint (i.e. the author’s standpoint) that gendered behavior is a product of socialization, and that it is a process, mutable, and often arbitrary, and reinforces system of inequality.”Welcome to Patriarchy Theory 101. Apparently some Heathens only want to reject post-modernism so far.Once again…no attempt to compare this to known lore (i.e. what the ancestors believed was good and/or acceptable) and see if a compatibility exists. Feminism comes first and is assumed to be the logical guiding principle. This leads to several examples of prominent women in Heathenry who share the bias of the author.Chapter 6 leads us to an area of more common ground to this reviewer, with its concern over the neo-Nazi connections Heathenry had had to deal with in the past, and how a folk religion where ancestral connection is perceived as important can allow non-whites into its realm “authentically”. Applying the standard academic framework again, she asserts that the “…white privilege of shopping for ethnic identity” is part of Heathenry, when a Reconstructionist would probably assert that taking one’s “German-ness” on and off was antithetical to authenticity. It is here most that the dehumanizing premise, that any reaction against a left-wing bias “can be interpreted” (and most gleefully is by the author) a fearful response to a loss of status. Lost on her seems the possibility that those who are attracted to their native European roots, enough to reembrace them in religious life even, may not be receptive to constant scathing criticisms of them based on the very modern/post-modern thinking that has caused them to seek Heathenry in the first place. For an author who so accurately captures what is driving so many people to neo-Paganism and Heathenry (i.e. the alienating effects of a post-industrial world/loss of family and community/the caustic effects of hypermaterialism), she doesn’t seem to understand her own ideology may be one of the forces driving that alienation. This is augmented by very condescending language towards those who question “white privilege” as having a “...marked lack of insight into sociological factors surrounding race, ethnicity, and inequality”. Once again….post-modernism (especially that in her chosen field) is the way to understanding how to revive an ancient religion…is the message conveyed. And she wonders why a Reconstructionist might bristle without being a racists?!?The McNallen onslaught continues, with her criticisms of his Metagenetics ignoring the possibility that recently-discovered epi-genetic factors may place a near-identical role, albeit probably not for thousands of years as the AFA founder would desire.Black Heathen woman feels like a pariah among the right-wing and a token among the left-wing. No surprise there, sadly…on both accounts.Tribalism is introduced as an apolitical solution to the universalist versus folkish debate and the can-you-be-gay-and-Heathen question, but is also faulted for not “fixing” the issues. Once again, the sociological agenda comes BEFORE Heathenry for the author, opening her to the very accusations of inauthenticity she faults Reconstructionists for. As an emerging fan of this system, with its ability to unite differing political types into cohesive groups, I found her admiration a more subtle compromise than is normal for Heathen feminists I've met, who tend to stay with their own and eventually drive out those who disagree with them politcally, thereby really making them women's safe spaces.Competent descriptions of frith, grith, and orlog are presented and shown to be tools in containing drama. Another latent anti-essentialist comment links the “essentialization of peoplehood” (i.e. in this case the assertion that for people to be “Germanic” there must be some “essential” property that makes them so) to racism. A final juxtapositioning of a Folkish Heathen with a “lesbian feminist geek” make Professor Snook’s side of the cultural war apparent.This is followed by yet another surprising and erudite point; Golden Age thinking drives the development of Heathenry. And thus she paraphrases philosopher M.M. Bahktin to convey the sentiment:“It is only in the past that things are “good” and pure, and it is through tradition that we maintain our ties with this past.”A fully valid point, and one missed by too many Heathens, left and right, who don’t examine what they are wanting from Heathenry. The far right has their Prehistorical Aryan Empire, with its fictional superior uberman social order and advanced achievements (according to some Nazi propaganda posters, anyway). The far left has their Prehistorical Matriarchy with its fictional superior gyno-centric social order, simply transposed 5500 years in the future and put in Scandinavia. It would have been nice if the author had included more on the latter, especially in the face of the “Half of Viking Warriors were Female” information fiasco still-believed by the biased who have sent it all over the internet and still believe it as proven fact.So too would have been a bit more on the use of Germanic myth was used in the Romantic period for Germanic nationalisms, although the following passage on the Lay of Rig, and its use as a justification of inequality, was very interesting. Unasked is the question of “authenticity” to the skepticism of accepted hierarchy in Old Norse culture, the Machiavellianism of the Lay’s author instead postulated without supporting evidence. It is equally possible that a belief in such a caste system long predated the Lay the Rig’s composition. Same for the story itself.Through the book, The author seems to decry Reconstructionism while utilizing its techniques when they produce the results she desires. A fabulous point about “foreigners” such an Arabic traveler Ibn Fadln taking part in Heathen rituals scores a big victory for the authenticity of including non-whites in New Heathenry (Recons take note!). Also good in the small section of how American history, with its tortured “racial” history, haunts American History specifically, even though our European cousins still experience the same polarization.So about this time you may be thinking, “Wow Joe. You sure spent a lot of time reviewing a book you hate so much, even if you found a few things of merit.”Wrong. I LOVE this book! Want know why?Because it finally, clearly, articulates the left-wing, academic, feminist, former-Wiccan position quite well, even if you don’t agree with it.Don’t agree with it? Read it anyway, and then articulate why YOU think it is bad. Learning about metaphysical essentialism and how it relates to “gender studies” will also help you. Also check out the growing movement to pathologize "hypermasculinity".But try to do what I, somewhat begrudgedly, have to admit Professor Snook has done, and find some sway in that confirmation bias you have. The ability to bend a little when faced with new, valid, information. Just because some Heathen women believe a “Mist of Avalon” version of Old Norse society, and are belligerent with it, doesn’t mean that culture was a Neo-Gorean fantasy either. I hate over-reaching from either side. We sorta need each other to do this, you know?Reconstructionism is needed to decipher objectively what we can about the ancestral (yes, Professor Snook, want to see my charts?) folk religion. If what is objectively true is distasteful to us in the 21st-century, why are we portrait painting an idealization to enact instead? Tapered with some level of pragmatism, New Heathenry can be as true to the original as possible…for those who want it that way. Those who want a fiction that pleases who they are entering Heathenry AS rather than a series of discoveries that challenge and change YOU….please return to the New Age where the post-modern "the truth is within you" belongs. Grim realism is what I see in the lore, the concept of wryd (fate, sorta) an obvious admission that much is out of our hands and not as we'd like it to be. The ancestors didn't live in a world with enough margin of error for a believe in anything else. I guess my desire foremost with this review is for both sides to see that.Base your Heathenry on what you love, not what you hate or are rebelling against. It is a good rule I find, in the Havamal or not. ;)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Academic bias in the modern world By Juniper Anzalone American Heathens is a personal analysis and critique of the world of Heathenry in America. Written by Sociologist Jennifer Snook, this is supposed to be one of the first major academic books on the subject. This work reveals one persons perspectives and insights of this culture, which offers outsiders with an interest in the subject an idea of what this world is like, and insiders a chance for self-reflection. Its focus is on subjects such as politics, relation and opposition to Wiccan and other Neo-Pagan identities, racism, Reconstructionism, gender roles, and what it means to be a Heathen. It does a fairly thorough job of analyzing every aspect of Heathen lifestyle and belief as possible. Analyzing these aspects of identity is bound to be tied in with subjects such as culture and race, and these subjects become the prevalent theme within this book.The general structure of this book is first-person accounts from various people within the Heathen community and affiliated cultures. This creates the feeling of a documentary, as it gives a real life glimpse into these worlds. Along with this are various rituals and ceremonies the author went to, and their personal experiences witnessing this. It is these sections that have the most to offer, for they are simply reporting on what it would be like to attend such a thing, or how others are performing ceremonies. Along with this are accounts of people she met and her experiences getting to know random people and what their lives are like, down to such details as how messy their home was. To jokingly call this “Days of Our Heathen Lives” is often not a far stretch. The various quotes from people they meet is used to validate whatever argument is being presented, so the reader gets a fair amount of perspectives from many kinds of people.It is these quotes though that are the writers’ main source of providing any context for her argument, which is a major flaw within the book. By finding the right quote to validate whatever belief is presented, the argument is confidently considered over simply based on the author’s assumptions and beliefs. As an imaginary example, suppose the writer wants to argue that Asatru are just angry Vikings. She would find a quote to say so, and this would be the brunt of her evidence. It is this lack of context though, of trying to understand the other perspective, that is the greatest weakness within this book. One person agreeing with her does not prove her point. Worse, is when she takes a quote out of context, the best example and low point of the book being a person who used the quote “our women” to describe Heathen women in a very favorable way. This was in the section about gender, and since she had no other quote to go on she had to extrapolate this one quote and twist the word “our” into showing possession. From this, she found validation in saying that Heathen men feel a sense of ownership over women.This exposes her bias, which was obvious from the very beginning, and unfortunately tainted much of writing. In the prologue, she informs the reader that their views are moderate, and no such things as the Left even exists, only being an idea created by the Right. This clever bait-and-switch diminished the responsibility of claiming ownership of her bias, suggesting that by anyone disagreeing they are creating a myth about political and cultural beliefs in general. The unfortunate truth is that these extremely Left views infiltrate almost every single argument within this book, and even the good arguments are discarded by the strong and dismissive language about points of view the author does not share, and obviously considers lesser. This, unfortunately, reflects on how receptive I was to a lot of this book.As a chart points out, Conservative viewpoints tend to dominate the Heathen world, showing that a larger number per capita have views on the Right. This formulates the idea propagated throughout this book that views on the Right are a negative thing, and views on the Left are a positive thing. This simplified approach will greatly impact how anyone sees this book, depending on how far one identifies as such, or how much someone can simply dismiss these ideas as mere politics and focus on other, much more positive, aspects of the book. To mean, it comes as no surprise that those who look to the past and are focused on concepts such as ancestry and tradition would gravitate in that direction, which does not fit so well into a Liberal outlook that is all about individual rights and the future. Approaching Heathenry expecting Conservative views to not dominate seems very odd to me, even if I agree that some of those perspectives could be worked on and perhaps approached differently.Snook takes a lot of her beliefs and views formed in her experience with Wicca and transfer them over to how she perceives Heathenry. Much of the narrative comes from examining how Heathens see Wiccans and Neo-Pagans, using gender to emphasize this point and critique how Heathens refer to the former as “fluffy-bunnies”, she has many complaints about how Heathens behave and see the “other”, and in how identity is created from this idea of not being this other. She uses concepts such as Reconstructionist, who try to study history as thoroughly as possible to gain an understanding of how religion and the gods were personally seen, and Unverified Personal Gnosis, or UPG for short, a contentious aspect of Paganism that essentially believes that visits from spirits or others occur and these visitations are grounds from forming beliefs.While I do not believe it necessary to dismiss those who claim to have had experienced such occurrences, basing reality around them is certainly questionable, especially when that reality is being used to imply truths that do not hold up to scholarship. I certainly understand a complaint against Recons., for certainly some tend to be quite snobbish and dismissive of anyone who supposedly has not attained their high status or knowledge. This in truth though seems fairly rare in academia, mainly existing on the Internet by rogue scholars who have a chip on their shoulder. While pointing out this aspect of the culture is completely valid, dismissing the search for knowledge as an academic is quite odd. Yes, it is true the Edda’s were written by Christians and in post-Pagan times, but that does not mean it is a fruitless endeavor. Criticizing Wiccan and Neo-Pagans for this lack of a sense of scholarship is completely valid, as most tend to focus merely on Llewellyn books who cite other authors who cite other authors, all who are in the same social circle. Snook’s critiques of Reconstructionist, and praise of Neo-Pagans, are completely unfounded. Furthermore, the assumption that Wiccans tend to be more about gender equality has no basis in reality, as many are absurdly stuck in the only corner of academia they are familiar with, the Goddess movement largely created by Gimbutas, that is not only largely based on myth but also has created a very anti-masculine identity in response to popular cultureHeathens are, of course, just like everyone else, so gender certainly is an issue. Being that these values are on tradition and family though, it seems obvious that the average Heathen would have ideas that emulate certain ideas about the household. To present an article which stands in stark reflection, The Journal of Contemporary Heathen Thought once printed an article, and I hesitate to even use that word, which was a critique of Feminism by a woman who clearly never read a book on the subject. This was coming from someone who had no understanding of why Feminism ever came to be, and her ideas would clearly be opposed to Snooks. On the other hand, I am under the impression that Snook cannot conceive of why a Heathen woman would fit into a traditional role, and be okay with that. While I found this aforementioned article to be ludicrous in its complete ignorance of the subject, the foundation of Feminism is the woman’s right to choose, even if that choice is to be the caretaker of the house and family. While I find it valid to claim that Heathens could work on their ideas of gender, this is also a very general concept, and I do not believe the average Heathen is drastically different from the average American in this respect, which I think is exactly Snooks complaint. It would behoove her to get the point and just say that though, instead of using Heathens to make an example out of.Discussing racism is always a difficult issue, as people’s emotions are understandably very strong about the subject. The idea of racism is a necessary topic to bring up regarding Heathens in America today, I know this all to well as I am well aware of racial issues within the demographic. This is also a subject that I believe needs to be talked about logically, without accusations or blanket statements. This is, unfortunately, not something Snook is capable of, for even though they are an academic, their Liberal bias is much to strong to allow an intelligent and fruitful discussion on the issue. I actually feel that Richard Rudgley in Pagan Resurection discusses the extremist groups and racists aspects of Heathenry in a much more academic way, that gets the information across without coming across as simply reactionary. Rudgley does not take low blows, he speaks his mind while simply reporting on the facts, while Snook’s criticisms are often juvenile. The discussion on the Nine Noble Virtues within Asatru is an example of this, as she goes through some of these ideas while including dialog such as “Aw c’mon!” in a sarcastic tone. While I believe the NNV’s are worthy of being critiqued, the lack of maturity is off-putting. The critique that Wasp’s, the rich white elite that runs many things in this country, influence many of these ideas, as well as Ayn Rand. While I agree with the Rand statement, the way she uses this to smear this group is uncalled for, and regarding Wasp’s I thought as a Sociologist she would be aware of the vast difference between class, that often transcends race. To insult a group that often is made up of convicts and military, two groups that generally come from the poorest classes, as having anything to do with Wasp’s is simply insulting.In general it seems Snook has an issue with Asatru, going back and forth on her language that implies all within are racists to saying these things are complex and difficult to label. It’s this back and forth that I mentioned earlier which is prominent within the book, for when they reveal their bias it all goes downhill, than a moment later they seem to be a reasonable person discussing these matters intellectually. A story at one point discusses a very negative encounter with Asatru members, and it seems that this deeply shook her up, which I understand. She also tried to join the Asatru, who it seems denied her very possibly because they are tired of being scrutinized. While I certainly do not agree with everything McNallen has said and he is also deserving of being criticized for many things, along with other prominent people within Asatru, the blanket statements and ideology will only create more problems. In fact, it already has, as people are already getting into arguments over the barriers this book creates.It is no different when it comes to the concept of Folkish vs. Universalist, coming to the conclusion that any concept of white identity is by default racist and that all Folkist people are by default racist as well. This is a terrible argument, that will only encourage those on the Right to go further in that direction. It is no more joke that if a white person gets into another cultures religious practice, they are appropriating, and if they become interested in there own culture, they are racist. It’s a lose/lose situation that only creates a defeatists helpless attitude, creating the kind of mentality of an unhealthy idea such as White Pride when it is taken too far because any kind of pride in your culture is racist, so you might as well be one. It is exactly this vitriolic mentality that dissuades many from Liberal ideologies. Concepts of Folkish ideologies are given no room for understanding, simply written off as yet another attempt to exclude others, yet this same ideology would never persist if a group of Native Americans, Hindus, or any other wanted to have ceremonies that only had their own people. It is only the European descendants who are constantly backed into a corner because of the horrors of the past, and this frustrating topic is never going to progress as long as people like Snook continue to paint American Heathens in general with the same broad brush.All is not lost, moving beyond the blatant bias’s this writer does have plenty of intelligent things to talk about and brings up many interesting ideas for everyone to contemplate. The discussion on Loki was needed and quite interesting, and she was quite right about how religion and politics were never separated. There is an excellent section on how the individual relates to society that was highly enjoyable, and all of the dialog about Norse concepts such as Wyrd and Orlög was quite interesting and helped give a deeper understanding of these ideas and the general Heathen mind frame. In fact, if Snook were to write this without such an obvious, even snotty, bias, I would have a lot of good things to say about this. Unfortunately, that was not the case, but I would still recommend reading this book just because of all the insights into the culture. I compare it to the character assassination of Richard Noll’s The Jung Cult, which is an excellent academic work with absurd conclusions; such as Jung may have been an Anti-Semite because of a friend of a friend was one. Much like this work, it is full of useful and interesting information, but the ideas the authors add to it are horrendous. It feels odd to have these criticisms, as if Snook was not so ridiculously one-sided I would have enjoyed the work immensely. We both have a very similar background, from a father in the military to a German mother, and early interests in cultures such as Paganism and Metal. In general, we also probably agree more than we disagree. It is how she says it though that I completely disagree with, and this is my main criticisms of the Left in general. It is also an undeniable truth that academia is politically swayed, and in the world today the only thing that sells is this kind of material. I am glad to see more books in the Pagan culture talk about these issues, but talking about it like this will never do any good. This book is not just about American Heathens; it is about the divide between the Left and Right that permeates our culture today. How your politics lay will have a massive influence on how you read this book, and it is unfortunate that bridges will not built from reading this or there will be a higher level of understanding between groups. Instead, Ginnungagap lays before us, insisting that the battle will continue and these worlds shall remain divided.
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American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook
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American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook
American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement, by Jennifer Snook
