American Heathens

"American Heathens is an extremely valuable work of highly original and well-grounded scholarship. This book is a quantum leap beyond the earlier literature. Snook provides a theoretically astute analysis of the Heathen movement and an exceptionally nuanced discussion of the dynamics of such issues as gender roles, communal identity formation, and relationships to other new religious movements and mainstream American religions. American Heathens will surely become a standard text for scholars and teachers in the emerging field of Pagan studies."
—Michael Strmiska, Assistant Professor of World History at SUNY-Orange and editor of Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives

"Snook has written a superb insider account of the interesting issues surrounding the revival of pagan traditions among religiously disaffected Americans seeking to (re)construct identities as heathens.... Based on fieldwork, interviews, observation of rituals, and the author's own experiences as a longtime pagan/heathen, this study reveals Snook as a skilled ethno-anthropologist. This is a helpful and needed guide to this diverse and fascinating subculture. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
—Choice

" This insightful and detailed study, based on fieldwork, interviews, and online research, addresses a few of the most pressing aspects of contemporary religious movements and Heathenry.... American Heathens is an important read for scholars working on forms of contemporary paganism and those interested in specific discourses on race in the U.S. The study does much to elevate the terms of debate around the role of racism and nationalism in New Religious Movements. Its careful methodology and thoughtful analysis are exemplary, and its appearance should inspire more nuanced scholarly discussions of paganism."
—Western Folklore

"American Heathens provides both an overview of the various discourses, practices, and social networks that constitute the Heathen current in the United States, as well as analyses of that current in terms of social constructivist theory.... (The) topics are all treated with great care and nuance—yielding insightful analyses of facets of a new religious movement of increasing global importance that has not previously been explored by any within academia.... (T)he academic merits and complete novelty in terms of the subject of American Heathens makes it required reading for any scholars engaging with contemporary Neopaganism in general or with Heathenry in particular."
—Nova Religio

"Jennifer Snook’s rich ethnography, American Heathens challenges simplistic characterizations of this relatively unknown community and sheds light on the complexities involved in trying to resurrect this gendered, white ethnic, religious identity in the midst of a society embroiled in the contentious politics of difference. This book is notable not only for being the first full-length study of this religion, but also for its theoretical approach.... Overall, the book has several strengths. It is an insightful, nuanced treatment of a fascinating subculture, based on extensive interviewing and a dozen years of ethnographic immersion. On a theoretical level, Snook adds to our understanding of the ways in which identity construction is as much about differentiation as it is about identification by analyzing not one, but several dimensions of conflict over the creation, negotiation, and maintenance of group boundaries." —Contemporary Sociology

"From beginning to end, Snook is open and reflexive about her insider identity, and it is difficult to imagine that such an in-depth study could have been undertaken by a researcher who was not an insider.... This is a comprehensive, revealing, and utterly engaging discussion of the complex and evolving politics of identity in this new religious community. Irrespective of their prior level of knowledge about the movement, readers inside and outside the academy are likely to understand modern Heathenry a great deal better as a result of reading this book."
—American Journal of Sociology

" Snook’s book, which is based on her long-term ethnographic research, addresses how American Heathens negotiate issues of race, ethnicity, and identity.... Snook wants to point out that American Heathenry is misunderstood, claiming that it differs a lot from the rest of the Neo-Pagan movements and shall deserve its own specific classification.... American Heathens provides a fine introduction to the subject."
—Religious Studies Review

"American Heathens is an informative, engaging, and well-written text by American sociologist and Heathen practitioner Jennifer Snook.... It is a valuable contribution adding to the landscape of Pagan studies, different from ethnographies focused on particular communities. She does a good job at conveying the spectrum of diversity of attitudes and orientations.... (This) is quite a good book, and is well-grounded in the sociological literature."
—The Pomegranate