Promotional Information

Pagan parents tend to seek to instil values, such as religious tolerance and spiritual independence, which will remain with their children throughout their lives

Table of Contents

List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction1 Crafting History 2 Old Souls: Pagan Childhood 3 Parenting in Neverland 4 Don't Eat the Incense: Children in Ritual 5 A Room Full of FireFlies 6 My Dream Come True Conclusion: Building Fairy Houses Appendix A: "American Pagan Families and Family Values" Online SurveyAppendix B: "Second-Generation Pagans: Experiences and Opinions" Online SurveyNotes Selected BibliographyIndex About the Author

About the Author

S. Zohreh Kermani received a PhD in American Religions from Harvard University in 2010. Her research interests include the history of new and alternative religions in the U.S. and childhood and religion. She currently teaches religious studies part time at Youngstown State University.

Reviews

"An intriguing, important, and often entertaining look at an under-studied aspect of new religions. Highly recommended." Douglas E. Cowan, author of Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet "Kermani's superb interweaving of survey-data, interviews, and observations of Spiral Scout meetings and festivals offers readers a rare glimpse into religious practice from the perspectives of multiple generations. She expertly explores how children and parents co-create their tradition, working together to build a shared history that is as much about remembering a mythic past as it is about forgetting parents' struggles with institutional religion. Analyzing the daily practices of pagan families - who value childlike wonder and playful behavior in adults and preternatural wisdom in children - Kermani demonstrates the often-theorized interdependence of the definitions of 'child' and 'adult' with a clarity that will cause future scholars to rethink their assumptions about the fixed nature of these categories. This excellent volume is a must read for anyone interested in the creation and maintenance of religious practices, American Paganism, and childhood studies." Susan Ridgely, University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh