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Call for Writers – Cultural Appropriation in the Neopagan Community

Megalithica Books, an imprint of Immanion Press (Stafford, U.K.), is seeking submissions for a new anthology on the topic of cultural appropriation within the Neopagan community.

For decades, pagans have drawn on cultures from around the world and throughout history as part of our spiritual and magical practices. We
worship deities of cultures both thriving and long gone, we
incorporate tools and regalia into our rituals drawn from other
religions, and rarely is the impact of our borrowing (sometimes
interpreted as theft) questioned or discussed. Cultural appropriation
is the elephant in the room--and it's time to start talking about it.



Here are just a few ideas for topics:

--What impact has the proliferation of books and seminars on
shamanism, as well as shamanic practitioners within the Neopagan (as
well as New Age) community had on Native American cultures? What
assumptions do people make when a person not of an indigenous culture claims to be a shaman or
talks about hir totem animal, and how does that affect these cultures?

--Cultural appropriation is often associated with Native American
cultures, but what about the impact on other cultures and religions? A
few examples are: Voodoo and other Afro-Caribbean religions; European
reconstructionist religions (Celtic, Norse, etc.) ; Eastern religions,
philosophies and practices (Shinto, Taoism, Tantra, etc.) ; Australian
indigenous cultures.

--Chaos magic is becoming more popular among some pagans. How does
paradigmal piracy in Chaos magic relate to cultural appropriation? What about eclectic and syncretic practice in paganism?

--Is occult Qabalah (as opposed to Jewish Qabalah) cultural appropriation?

--How does Unverified/Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis (UPG) relate to
cultural appropriation? How do we balance respect for other cultures
with being called by the Gods?

--Can we justify cultural appropriation through claims of preservation
of cultural and spiritual practices that might otherwise be lost?

--How is membership in a culture defined? Can we draw on cultures we
were not necessarily raised with? Is active involvement with a culture
necessary for properly utilizing aspects of that culture?

--Some people claim to have been members of Native American cultures or other
cultures in a past life, and use that to justify their use of aspects
of those cultures in their practices in this life. Is this cultural
appropriation?

--How are members of various cultures portrayed in the writing and
other creative efforts of pagans? For example, several authors of
pagan-flavored fiction have "token Native American" characters who
invariably have some connection to a shamanic tradition, even though
the author hirself may have never had any long-term contact with any
Native American culture. The same goes for the "genuine Native American
teachers" in certain nonfiction shamanic texts found more towards the
New Age end of the spectrum, whose very existence is questioned by the
cultures they supposedly come out of. How does the proliferation of
such writings in the pagan community relate to the problem of cultural
appropriation, whether the culture is from Native American origins, Asian
countries, or other cultures commonly appropriated from?

--Can cultural appropriation be a healthy development? Does it
contribute to the evolution of cultures, both those taken from and
those who take? Is cultural appropriation simply the assimilation of
some cultural concepts into others, as has happened for millenia, or
is there a reason for the increased political and social awareness of
what's going on? Are neopagans taking part in a process that has
always been in place, or is there something that sets us apart?

--What are the ethics behind blending aspects of one culture with
those of another? Is it appropriate only if we are honest and
forthright about where our influences come from, or are we
automatically diluting the cultures from which we draw?

--Where does freedom of expression and religion come into play? How can we balance cultural appropriation with the avoidance of censorship?

--Are Neopagans victims of cultural appropriation by way of the
media's portrayals of us? Are we a culture, or at least a subculture,
or set of subcultures?

--How can we address cultural appropriation, both as a community and
as individual practitioners? What are some important points to keep in
mind? What if there aren't easy answers?

These are just some suggestions, not hard-and-fast requirements. All
perspectives will be considered; this includes perspectives from
members of cultures that are often appropriated from who may or may
not be pagans themselves. We will publish multiple essays from
different people on similar topics, provided they are sufficiently
unique to avoid redundancy.

Rough drafts are due October 15, 2007. We're anticipating a projected word count of 1,500 – 4,000 words per essay, though if you believe yours may be out of this range,
don't assume we won't accept it. You may contact us with proposals prior to the due date if you are unsure of whether your idea will be acceptable. Please submit all essays, proposals and questions to whishthound (at) gmail.com

Essays will be required to have citations for all unoriginal material,
quoted or paraphrased, and a full bibliography; we prefer APA format. We expect a wide range of voices and readers; don't be afraid of being
too academic. On the other hand, don't be intimidated if you think
your work isn't academic enough; just make sure you show your work and
give credit for any thoughts that aren't uniquely yours, whether
directly quoted or not.

Compensation will be $25.00 plus a free copy of the anthology when it
is published. All essayists will be provided with a contract upon
acceptance of their essays.

The anthology will be edited by Lupa. She is the author of several
pagan/occult nonfiction books, and is an associate nonfiction editor
for Immanion Press/Megalithica Books. Her interest in cultural
appropriation stems from over a decade of practicing animal magic and
particularly the crossover and related issues that neopagan totemism has with the totemic systems of
indigenous cultures. She may be found online at
http://www.thegreenwolf.com and her email address is whishthound (at) gmail.com

Immanion Press is a small independent press based in the United
Kingdom. Founded by author Storm Constantine in 2003, it expanded into
occult nonfiction in 2004 with the publication of Taylor Ellwood's Pop
Culture Magick. Today, Immanion's nonfiction line, under the Megalithica Books imprint, has a growing
reputation for edgy, experimental texts on primarily intermediate and
advanced pagan and occult topics. Immanion Press is the publisher of
Magick on the Edge: An Anthology of Experimental Magick (2007) and
Manifesting Prosperity: A Wealth Magic Anthology (2008). Find out more at
http://www.immanion-press.com.



Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested!