Take a look at Jone Salomonsen's _Enchanted Feminism: the Reclaiming Witches of San Francisco_ (Routledge, 2004). Her masterful work shows how even in a feminist Wiccan organization dedicated to egalitarianism, discourses of exclusion and power/knowledge that privilege certain members over others easily develop. And Reclaiming's relatively benign as far as that goes. Many of us in the Pagan movement are all too familiar with other instances in which the results have been seriously damaging.
BB,
Sabina
-----Original Message-----
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Caduceus Books
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 1:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Esoterism in the Classroom
Greetings!
>>From: Sabina Magliocco <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>snip... But on the whole I'd rather operate in a system dominated by one of so-called objectivism, than in one dominated by the kinds of discourses
>>that can come to prevail when spiritual and/or esoteric knowledge is combined with power.
I am interested in the politics of esotericism, occultism and magic. Of
course one can think of examples where these currents operated at the
heart of political establishments but what particularly interests me
particularly is where those who are marginalised or oppressed use these
approaches to protect and benefit themselves. I think there are
instances where this was done very effectively.
My best wishes
Ben
--
Ben Fernee
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