Login
Create Account
Canadian Store (CAD)
You are currently shopping in our Canadian store. For orders outside of Canada, please switch to our international store. International and US orders are billed in US dollars.
 |
The Return of Ancestral GodsModern Ukrainian Paganism as an Alternative Vision for a Nation |
eBook Available
How socio-political turmoil has inspired a new religious movement based on the imagined past.
As Ukraine struggles to find its national identity, modern Ukrainian Pagans offer an alternative vision of the Ukrainian nation. Drawing inspiration from the spiritual life of past millennia, they strive to return to the pre-Christian roots of their ancestors. Since Christianity dominates the spiritual discourse in Ukraine, Pagans are marginalized, and their ideas are perceived as radical.
In The Return of Ancestral Gods, Mariya Lesiv explores Pagan beliefs and practices in Ukraine and amongst the North American Ukrainian diaspora. Drawing on intensive fieldwork, archival documents, and published sources not available in English, she allows the voices of Pagans to be heard. Paganism in Slavic countries is heavily charged with ethno-nationalist politics, and previous scholarship has mainly focused on this aspect. Lesiv finds it important to consider not only how Paganism is preached but also the way that it is understood on a private level. She shows that many Ukrainians embrace Paganism because of its aesthetic aspects rather than its associated politics and discusses the role that aesthetics may play in the further development of Ukrainian Paganism.
Paganism in Eastern Europe remains underrepresented within Pagan studies, and this work helps to fill that gap. Extensive comparative references to various forms of Western Paganism allows English-speaking readers to better understand the world of Ukrainian Pagans.
In The Return of Ancestral Gods, Mariya Lesiv explores Pagan beliefs and practices in Ukraine and amongst the North American Ukrainian diaspora. Drawing on intensive fieldwork, archival documents, and published sources not available in English, she allows the voices of Pagans to be heard. Paganism in Slavic countries is heavily charged with ethno-nationalist politics, and previous scholarship has mainly focused on this aspect. Lesiv finds it important to consider not only how Paganism is preached but also the way that it is understood on a private level. She shows that many Ukrainians embrace Paganism because of its aesthetic aspects rather than its associated politics and discusses the role that aesthetics may play in the further development of Ukrainian Paganism.
Paganism in Eastern Europe remains underrepresented within Pagan studies, and this work helps to fill that gap. Extensive comparative references to various forms of Western Paganism allows English-speaking readers to better understand the world of Ukrainian Pagans.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion Series (number 2.65 in series)
244 Pages, 6 x 9
20 b&w photos
ISBN 9780773542624
October 2013
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"The Return of the Ancestral Gods fills a gap in our knowledge of modern Paganism and will be of great interest to scholars of new religious movements. Lesiv is clearly in control of the relevant background and has a very interesting story to tell." Douglas Cowan, Department of Religious Studies, University of Waterloo
"The Return of the Ancestral Gods is an extremely well-researched, highly readable account of its subject. Lesiv takes great pains to let the Pagans speak for themselves and to respectfully present them in their social and historical contexts, while at the same time raising provocative questions about the political, social, and gender implications of this religious movement.” Michael Strmiska, Department of Global Studies, SUNY Orange
"The Return of the Ancestral Gods is an extremely well-researched, highly readable account of its subject. Lesiv takes great pains to let the Pagans speak for themselves and to respectfully present them in their social and historical contexts, while at the same time raising provocative questions about the political, social, and gender implications of this religious movement.” Michael Strmiska, Department of Global Studies, SUNY Orange
Mariya Lesiv is assistant professor of folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Figures xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 3
1 “Living with Honour”: Modern Western Paganism 14
2 “Where Do They Get This From?”: Sources of Ukrainian Paganism 26
3 Ukrainian Pagan Groups: History, Ideology, and Spirituality 41
4 Boundaries and Borders: Cultural Context 63
5 “We Haven’t Given Up What Is Ours”: Past and Present 77
6 Glory to Dazhboh (Sun-God) or to All Native Gods?: Monotheism and Polytheism 90
7 “Where Else Is There Such a People?”: Vision for a Nation 97
8 “We Allowed Nature to Live in Our Holy Place”: Nature and Power 114
9 “This Is Indeed Ours!”: Religious Syncretism 125
10 In Spite of Politics: Aesthetics and Beauty 140
Concluding Remarks: Ukrainian Paganism in the Context of Modernity 165
Terms 167
Notes 171
References 189
Index 213
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 3
1 “Living with Honour”: Modern Western Paganism 14
2 “Where Do They Get This From?”: Sources of Ukrainian Paganism 26
3 Ukrainian Pagan Groups: History, Ideology, and Spirituality 41
4 Boundaries and Borders: Cultural Context 63
5 “We Haven’t Given Up What Is Ours”: Past and Present 77
6 Glory to Dazhboh (Sun-God) or to All Native Gods?: Monotheism and Polytheism 90
7 “Where Else Is There Such a People?”: Vision for a Nation 97
8 “We Allowed Nature to Live in Our Holy Place”: Nature and Power 114
9 “This Is Indeed Ours!”: Religious Syncretism 125
10 In Spite of Politics: Aesthetics and Beauty 140
Concluding Remarks: Ukrainian Paganism in the Context of Modernity 165
Terms 167
Notes 171
References 189
Index 213
9780228008903
$75.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773532847
$37.95 CAD
Paperback
9780773530980
$37.95 CAD
Paperback
9780773516007
$125.00 CAD
Cloth
