The Roles of Nature, Deities, and Ancestors in Constructing Religious Identity in Contemporary Druidry By Michael T Cooper

https://www.academia.edu/49561896/The_Roles_of_Nature_Deities_and_Ancestors_in_Constructing_Religious_Identity_in_Contemporary_Druidry Theories of identity have moved from an understanding of either being ascribed or achieved to an understanding of the intersection of both ascription and achievement in one's identity. Identity theory is now recognized as having as much to do with individual choice as it does with an individual's heritage. Set in the context of identity theory, this research will look explicitly at the contemporary Druid religious identity as it relates to nature, deities, and ancestors. It proposes that the study of religious identity needs to incorporate three salient features-intellect, experience, and behavior. The article suggests a framework for religious identity theorya theory of religious identity, satisfaction, and deprivation-as a manner by which one might understand the ascription and achievement of an identity. Drawing from ethnographic field work, the proposed theory utilizes interviews of practitioners of contemporary Druidry as a means to understand the manner in which they construct religious identity. ...