The New Generation Witches ― Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture

Including contributors form the fields of theology, cultural studies, sociology, history, and media studies, as well as a couple from self-identified teen witches, the editors (professors of visual and media arts at Emerson College) present 11 papers that explore the phenomena of contemporary paganism amongst self-identified teens--a subject worthy of its own volume, it seems, because teen witches are typically perceived and perceive themselves to be on the margins of adult Witchcraft. Papers provide general historical and contemporary sociological portraits of the phenomena, explore belief and value systems and discourses, and consider the influence of popular media and the Internet on teen Witchcraft practices, among other topics. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Hannah E. Johnston (nAce Sanders) Ph.D. facilitated the UK's first teenage Witchcraft research and networking site, www.witchwords.net. Her doctoral thesis investigated the rise of contemporary teenage Witchcraft in the UK. She is currently Adjunct Professor in Visual and Media Arts at Emerson College, USA, where she teaches contemporary television studies and cultural theory. Peg Aloi is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Emerson College, USA, and also teaches film studies at the Massachusetts College of Art. She is the Media Coordinator of The Witches' Voice, Inc., and a film critic for The Boston Phoenix. Her research in Paganism Studies connects many disciplines, including literature, cinema, popular culture and Celtic Studies. She is an award-winning poet and amateur filmmaker. Hannah and Peg are currently working on several book projects, including a collection of essays on HBO's television series CarnivA le, and a book on cinema and the occult.