Ethan Doyle White

Followers

1,168

Following

529

Public Views

I teach courses at City Lit, London and was previously a visiting lecturer in Folklore at the University of Hertfordshire. In 2019, I completed my PhD in Medieval History and Archaeology at University College London (UCL) with a thesis titled "Popular Religiosity and Watery Places in Early Medieval England: An Interdisciplinary Examination." I also hold both a BA Hons. (first class, 2012) and an MA (distinction, 2013) from that same institution.

My background is primarily in archaeology and history, although I have also employed other methodologies to explore how contemporary communities understand and utilise the past. Interdisciplinarity is therefore very much part of my approach as a scholar.

Although my scholarly interests are eclectic and wide-ranging, thus far I have focused my attentions on two primary research interests. The first is the religious beliefs and practices of early medieval England, both in its pre-Christian and early Christian forms. The second is the study of modern Pagan and occult new religious movements, including the way in which these contemporary groups interpret, appropriate, and utilise archaeological, historical, and folkloric material in a modern context. Intersecting with these two specialisations have been my thematic interests in folkloristics, medievalism, ritual and material religion, and religious intersections with politics, sexuality, and popular culture. Essentially, I'm interested in religion as it impacts everyday life and society, rather than as a purely theological or intellectual exercise.

I sit on the editorial board of the American Academy of Religion's "Reading Religion" review website and of The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, as well as being lead director for interviews at the World Religions and Spirituality Project (WRSP). I also blog at On New and Alternative Religions (http://ethandoylewhite.blogspot.co.uk/), through which I have interviewed various academics - whether archaeologists, historians, folklorists, anthropologists, or religious studies scholars - who are involved in those fields that fascinate me.

less

Trent University

University of Chichester

Kaori Inuma

Tama Art University

Massimo Introvigne

John Clark

Museum Of London

Francesca Montesperelli

University of Perugia

InterestsView All (23)

Uploads

Books by Ethan Doyle White

Ethan Doyle White. Forthcoming [2025]. "Pale Hecate's Offerings: Witchcraft in British Film and Television."

Doyle White, E. 2024. "The New Witches of the West: Tradition, Liberation, and Power." Cambridge University Press.

The terms “witch” and “witchcraft” have been used to mean many different things over the years. I... more The terms “witch” and “witchcraft” have been used to mean many different things over the years. In the twentieth century, some people began referring to themselves as witches and espousing esoteric new religions that they called witchcraft. Some of these new religions – most notably Wicca – were forms of modern Paganism, devoted to the veneration of ancient divinities. Others constituted types of Satanism or Luciferianism, embracing the early modern idea of the witch as a Devil worshipper. Recent years have seen growing numbers of Black Americans who practice African diasporic religions adopt the term “witch” too. This Element explores why the image of the witch is so appealing to numerous people living in modern Western countries, examining how witchcraft offers people a connection to the past, a vehicle for liberation, and a means of empowering themselves in an often-troubling world.

Doyle White, E. 2023. "Pagans: The Visual Culture of Pagan Myths, Legends, and Rituals." Thames and Hudson.

Doyle White, E. 2016. "Wicca: History, Belief, and Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft." Sussex Academic Press.

The past century has borne witness to a growing interest in the belief systems of ancient Europe,... more The past century has borne witness to a growing interest in the belief systems of ancient Europe, with an array of contemporary Pagan groups claiming to revive these old ways for the needs of the modern world. By far the largest and best known of these Paganisms has been Wicca, a new religious movement that can now count hundreds of thousands of adherents worldwide. Emerging from the occult milieu of mid twentieth-century Britain, Wicca was first presented as the survival of an ancient pre-Christian Witch-Cult, whose participants assembled in covens to venerate their Horned God and Mother Goddess, to celebrate seasonal festivities, and to cast spells by the light of the full moon. Spreading to North America, where it diversified under the impact of environmentalism, feminism, and the 1960s counter-culture, Wicca came to be presented as a Goddess-centred nature religion, in which form it was popularised by a number of best-selling authors and fictional television shows. Today, Wicca is a maturing religious movement replete with its own internal divisions, distinct world-view, and unique culture.

This book represents the first published academic introduction to be exclusively devoted to this fascinating faith, exploring how this Witches' Craft developed, what its participants believe and practice, and what the Wiccan community actually looks like. In doing so it sweeps away widely-held misconceptions and offers a comprehensive overview of this religion in all of its varied forms. Drawing upon the work of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and scholars of religious studies, as well as the writings of Wiccans themselves, it provides an original synthesis that will be invaluable for anyone seeking to learn about the blossoming religion of modern Pagan Witchcraft.

Ethan Doyle White

Uploads

Books by Ethan Doyle White

Edited Volumes by Ethan Doyle White

Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals by Ethan Doyle White

Log In