{"product_id":"teenage-witches-magical-youth-and-the-search-for-the-self-paperback-softback-9780813540214","title":"Teenage Witches; Magical Youth and the Search for the Self (Paperback \/ softback) 9780813540214","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eTeenage Witches\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eMagical Youth and the Search for the Self\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eHelen Berger (Author), Douglas Ezzy (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780813540214\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 8 May 2007\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e304 pages, 13 images\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.482 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThis groundbreaking study, which looks at Australia, the UK, and the US, is thoughtful, engaged, and articulate...Interviewees speak candidly and insightfully about their experiences in a religion that continues to be misrepresented in mainstream culture. Recommended. \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv\u003eThis groundbreaking study, which looks at Australia, the UK, and the US, is thoughtful, engaged, and articulate...Interviewees speak candidly and insightfully about their experiences in a religion that continues to be misrepresented in mainstream culture. Recommended. \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv\u003eThis book makes an important contribution to our understanding of Witchcraft and its appeal among real-life young people on three continents. It's a fascinating story of young practitioners who find in alternative spiritual practices a way to affirm diversity and respect for all people.\u003c\/div\u003e - Lynn Schofield Clark (author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural) \u003cdiv\u003eThis book makes an important contribution to our understanding of Witchcraft and its appeal among real-life young people on three continents. It's a fascinating story of young practitioners who find in alternative spiritual practices a way to affirm diversity and respect for all people.\u003c\/div\u003e - Lynn Schofield Clark (author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural) \u003cdiv\u003eThis book is informative, engaging, and enchanting. The interweaving of the vignettes and quotes from the authors' interviews is masterful.\u003c\/div\u003e - James R. Lewis (author of Legitimating New Religions) \u003cdiv\u003eThis book is informative, engaging, and enchanting. The interweaving of the vignettes and quotes from the authors' interviews is masterful.\u003c\/div\u003e - James R. Lewis (author of Legitimating New Religions) \u003cdiv\u003eThis is an engrossing book that tells us not only about teenage witches, but also about important trends in post-modern society, with a significant proportion of young Westerners adopting alternative worldviews and lifestyles.\u003c\/div\u003e - Eileen Barker (Professor Emeritus of Sociology, London School of Economics) \u003cdiv\u003eThis is an engrossing book that tells us not only about teenage witches, but also about important trends in post-modern society, with a significant proportion of young Westerners adopting alternative worldviews and lifestyles.\u003c\/div\u003e - Eileen Barker (Professor Emeritus of Sociology, London School of Economics) \u003cdiv\u003eIn this evocative and important study, Helen Berger and Douglas Ezzy challenge stereotypes and bring to life the worlds of meaning created by teen witches. By exploring the beliefs, rituals, media habits, family backgrounds and personal struggles of these teenagers, the authors make a convincing case for the ways in which self-transformation and religious identity go hand in hand.\u003c\/div\u003e - Sarah M. Pike (author of Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for) \u003cdiv\u003eIn this evocative and important study, Helen Berger and Douglas Ezzy challenge stereotypes and bring to life the worlds of meaning created by teen witches. By exploring the beliefs, rituals, media habits, family backgrounds and personal struggles of these teenagers, the authors make a convincing case for the ways in which self-transformation and religious identity go hand in hand.\u003c\/div\u003e - Sarah M. Pike (author of Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for) \u003cdiv\u003eThis book is thoroughly enjoyable to read, introducing the reader to a group of thoughtful, ethically concerned, and charming young people.\u003c\/div\u003e - Brian J. Gibbons (Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft) \u003cdiv\u003eThis book is thoroughly enjoyable to read, introducing the reader to a group of thoughtful, ethically concerned, and charming young people.\u003c\/div\u003e - Brian J. Gibbons (Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eA popular new image of Witches has arisen in recent years, due largely to movies like The Craft, Practical Magic, and Simply Irresistible and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Charmed. Here, young sexy Witches use magic and Witchcraft to gain control over their lives and fight evil. Then there is the depiction in the Harry Potter books: Witchcraft is a gift that unenlightened Muggles (everyday people) lack. In both types of portrayals, being a Witch is akin to being a superhero. At the other end of the spectrum, wary adults assume that Witches engage in evil practices that are misguided at best and dangerous at worst.\u003cp\u003eYet, as Helen A. Berger and Douglas Ezzy show in this in-depth look into the lives of teenage Witches, the reality of their practices, beliefs, values, and motivations is very different from the sensational depictions we see in popular culture. Drawing on extensive research across three countries--the United States, England, and Australia--and interviews with young people from diverse backgrounds, what they find are highly spiritual and self-reflective young men and women attempting to make sense of a postmodern world via a religion that celebrates the earth and emphasizes self-development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors trace the development of Neo-Paganism (an umbrella term used to distinguish earth-based religions from the pagan religions of ancient cultures) from its start in England during the 1940s, through its growing popularity in the decades that followed, up through its contemporary presence on the Internet. Though dispersed and disorganized, Neo-Pagan communities, virtual and real, are shown to be an important part of religious identity particularly for those seeking affirmation during the difficult years between childhood and adulthood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of Illustrations\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter One - The World of Teenage Witchcraft\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Two - Coming Home to Witchcraft\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Three - The Magical Self\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Four - Within the Circle: Community and Family\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Five - The Goddess Is Alive: Feminism and Environmentalism\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Six - If It Harm None, Do As Thou Will\u003cbr\u003e Chapter Seven - Teenage Witchcraft: Why, What, and Where To?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Appendix A: Interview Questions\u003cbr\u003e Appendix B: Information on Interviewees\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Works Cited\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Rutgers University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52744622178584,"sku":"9780813540214","price":28.58,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/teenage-witches-magical-youth-and-the-search-for-the-self-paperback-softback-9780813540214","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}