Using Communications Theory to Explore Emergent Organisation in Pagan Culture

Authors

  • Angela Coco Southern Cross University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/arsr.v24i2.150

Keywords:

Pagan, communication theory, information and communication technologies, Pagan organisation, postmodern religion

Abstract

Pagan culture presents a paradoxical case to the traditional frameworks and methodologies social scientists have used to describe religious organisation. A key factor influencing Paganism’s emergence has been its adoption of online communications. Such communications provide a means of coordinating activities in and between networks accommodating diverse beliefs and practices and the ability to avoid overarching hierarchical organisation. These characteristics have led theorists to label Paganism as a postmodern religion, signalling the possibility of a different kind of social organisation from that evidenced in modern religions. Karaflogka (2003) distinguishes between two aspects of the move online, religion in cyberspace and religion on the Internet. While the Internet may be an online place for cybercovens and for performing cyber rituals, the analysis in this paper focuses on the interweaving of online and offline communicative practices. I suggest that communications theories, as outlined in Wenger’s ‘communities of practice’ model (1998) and Taylor and Van Every’s (2000) communications mapping, afford frameworks for exploring the inter-connectedness of online/offline interactions and a means of identifying emergent organisation in the Pagan movement. The analysis focuses on a particular feature of Pagan organisation, the accommodation of both group-oriented and solitary pagans.

Author Biography

  • Angela Coco, Southern Cross University
    Angela Coco is a senior lecturer in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University, New South Wales Australia. She is an inter-disciplinary researcher, exploring issues of identity, community, power and gender in organisational and religious settings. Her particular interests lie in researching new forms of religious organisation and expression, particularly in Paganism and Catholicism and the ways social relations in these are influenced by new information and communications technologies.

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Published

2011-10-18

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Coco, A. (2011). Using Communications Theory to Explore Emergent Organisation in Pagan Culture. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 24(2), 150-174. https://doi.org/10.1558/arsr.v24i2.150