Abstract
Given the current resurgence in interest in witchcraft as practice and religious belief my essay contends that modern-day witches and witchcraft have much in common with indigenous religions as belief systems inherently opposed to the cultural beliefs and internal logics of the capitalist West. Ultimately, I seek to define parallel beliefs within witchcraft and indigenous religions that may allow them to more closely align as allies in the political struggles facing oppressed and marginalized people especially in the United States understood as a colonial and imperial power. Drawing on work by Native thinkers, like Vine Deloria, Jr., and modern interpretations of Wicca/Neopaganism, I argue that core features within both, such as an ethic of reciprocity and a sacred connection to the land/place, make these two spiritual approaches strikingly similar. This similarity ought to foster among practitioners strong philosophical ties that ground emergent struggles against prevailing political conditions in shared and mutually supportive belief systems.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Witch, Witchcraft, Reciprocity, Capitalism, Neopaganism
