"We Are a Circle": Interpellation and Liminality in Neopagan Witchcraft Rituals
Dublin Core
Title
"We Are a Circle": Interpellation and Liminality in Neopagan Witchcraft Rituals
Subject
Anthropology
Description
Circle Sanctuary, as an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA), interpellates Neopagan practitioners into ideologies such as interconnectedness through rituals following the structure of rites of passage. In the liminal stage of rituals, Altered States of Consciousness may be induced due to the physiological and psychological triggers in rituals, which produces psychological effects like hyper-suggestibility in practitioners. From this state of hyper-suggestibility, Circle Sanctuary reverends are able to easily interpellate practitioners into Neopagan ideologies through repetitive chants and other suggestions. In addition, Neopaganism is a felicitous system for this specific historical and cultural moment in America, due to its universalist, activist, and oppositional nature, which appeals to many people as modern Americans face the social and environmental crises of their time.
Creator
Rachel Steiner
Source
Senior Showcase Oral Presentation
Publisher
Ripon College
Date
April 18, 2017
Rights
The author reserves all rights.
Identifier
Major: Anthropology
Minors: English and Women's & Gender Studies
Minors: English and Women's & Gender Studies
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Files
Collection
Citation
Rachel Steiner, “"We Are a Circle": Interpellation and Liminality in Neopagan Witchcraft Rituals,” Senior Showcase Digital Collection, accessed April 20, 2024, https://rcseniorshowcase.omeka.net/items/show/74.