Research Question and sources

 I am doing my research project on the study of witches and witchcraft. An extremely important topic is Wicca, the religion that witches practice in modern society. I think it is important to study Wicca in order to understand witches.

Research Question: Why does the world depict witches and Wicca as a false religion and in a negative light? What drives a woman to become a part of Wicca and to follow this normally taboo way of life?

Source 1: Jarvis, Christine. “Becoming a Woman Through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contemporary Teen Fiction.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 39, no. 1, Springer Netherlands, 2008, pp. 43–52, doi:10.1007/s10583-007-9058-0.

This scholarly article is about what drives young girls towards witchcraft and Wicca. It is about why they find this spiritual connection to the pagan religion and what allows them to find their identity and feel positive about their life.

 

Source 2: Harris, Adrian. “Wicca and the Christian Heritage: Ritual, Sex and Magic. By Joanne Pearson . Routledge, 2007. 192 Pages. $140.00 Cloth; $41.95 Paper.” Nova Religio, vol. 13, no. 3, 2010, pp. 119–20, doi:10.1525/nr.2010.13.3.119.

            This source is about how the roots of Wicca come from the Christian heritage. This could also give some insight on why the religion is looked to be in a negative light, having connections to Satan or Lucifer.

Source 3: Warwick, Lynda L. “Feminist Wicca: Paths to Empowerment.” Women & Therapy, vol. 16, no. 2-3, Taylor & Francis Group, 1995, pp. 121–33, doi:10.1300/J015v16n02_13.

            This is about the ways in which Wicca is connected to feminism. We see the ways in which women decide to take the path of witchcraft because it is a deviation from the role that women are normally expected to take therefore making Wicca a feminist movement as well as a religion.

Source 4: Sax, Boria. “Wiccans on Wicca.” Academic Questions, vol. 7, no. 2, 1994, pp. 11–12, doi:10.1007/BF02683152.

            This source gives insight on people that are within the religion and what they believe on the topic of Wicca. It is a firsthand experience on the topic where I can find out what drove them to become a part of Wicca.


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