Troubled Masculinities in British Paganism Set Against the Feminist Challenge of the 1970s and 1980s
Shai Feraro
Abstract
This article analyzes the ways in which British Wicca’s encounters with radical feminist theory during the 1970s and 1980s, as well as with feminist forms of Witchcraft and Goddess Spirituality, shaped changing notions regarding masculinity among male British Wiccans and Wiccan-derived Pagans, both in terms of their individual roles as priests within the religions, as well as in regard to their visioning of Wicca’s male deity—the Horned God. These issues are examined in light of the current academic study of masculinity, both in general and in relation to religion and spirituality.
Keywords
Wicca; Contemporary Paganism; Feminism; Masculinity; Horned God; Britain