Papers by Charlotte Hardman
Contemporary Sociology, 2001
Rich in ethnographic fieldwork, Children in New Religions concerns itself with the "alternative c... more Rich in ethnographic fieldwork, Children in New Religions concerns itself with the "alternative childhoods" of young people in over a dozen new religious movements (NRMs). Published in 1999, the thirteen chapters of this edited collection examine NRMs of a common provenance-those that sprung from the spiritual experimentation of the late 1960s and early 1970s and survived to welcome children in the 1980s and 1990s. Ranging from libertarian to controversially sectarian, how these relics of a bygone counterculture accommodate their offspring (and how society in turn accommodates their alternative models of family) forms the book's essential inquiry. With case studies in North America, Continental Europe, Britain, and the subcontinent, four areas of investigation are pursued: the impact children have on NRMs; how NRMs socialise their children; what issues of religious freedom arise, and how children in NRMs construct meaning. Chapter 1 observes how Wiccans in North America have adapted their rituals to accommodate and involve children. The author notes that second-generation neopagans are "less spiritual seekers than passive recipients" (p. 13) and whilst children are ritually celebrated in the movement, they necessarily make neopaganism more conservative with the need for restrained sexuality, continuity, and fixed behaviours. Chapter 2 gives voice to ISKCON (Hare Krishna) youths attending public schools in North America. With a breakdown in the movement's communal structure, and children increasingly forming "non-devotee" friendships, the author concludes that ISKCON's collective identity will ultimately lose relevance as children ironically "follow in the footsteps of their parents' generation" and seek alternative life options (p. 45). In chapter 3, the intentional separation of children from their mothers in New York's Sullivanian community makes for irksome reading, and places this psychotherapeutic movement at stark odds with the preponderance of NRMs that pointedly value family unity or indeed specifically invest children with salvific potential. The evangelical culture of Sweden's Word of Life movement is explored in chapter 4, and member children are observed to be both restricted in their autonomy, and encouraged to develop age-appropriate, "spiritually anointed language" (p. 86). Greater ideological freedoms are afforded to sannyasin children at the successful, Rajneesh-inspired Osho Ho Ksuan School in England (chapter 5), though formalising their education is seen to illustrate one of the "problems inherent in any libertarian movement that outgrows the size and informality of its charismatic origins" (p. 119). Likewise, Shri Mataji's "ideal model" of a detached childhood is challenged by the socialisation practices at the Sahaja Yoga school
Oxford University Press eBooks, Jun 1, 2004
IN 1973, Charlotte Hardman published an article in JASO entitled 'Can there be an Anthropolog... more IN 1973, Charlotte Hardman published an article in JASO entitled 'Can there be an Anthropology of Childhood?' Long before childhood became of general interest to anthropologists, she argued that children were a worthy subject of study. They were, she claimed, a further example of a group with 'muted voices' and in fact possessed a culture of their own. She challenged the idea that children were interesting only in so far as they were subject to processes of socialization and enculturation. She argued that anthropologists had left the study of children to psychologists such as Vygotsky (1962) and Piaget (1932) and sociologists such as Aries (1962), and had not taken up the challenge of looking at children as subjects in their own right, with their own forms of language, meanings, and understandings. She concluded that there could legitimately be an anthropology of childhood. Her article remained obscure, however, and it was another ten years before anthropologists, mo...
The thesis is an anthropological study of the Lohorung Rai tribe of East Nepal, based on twenty m... more The thesis is an anthropological study of the Lohorung Rai tribe of East Nepal, based on twenty months of fieldwork. Its major theme is their conceptual system and in particular their religious and psychological concepts. The intention throughout has been to look at concepts, both verbal and non-verbal, in the light of my own developing knowledge of the Lohorung conceptual framework. The thesis is divided into seven chapters. The introductory chapter provides a background description, including an account of first impressions and fieldwork experiences, as well as the theoretical perspective of the thesis, a delineation of Lohorung households, and the significance of the domestic group. Since the superhuman beings permeate Lohorung everyday life, and provide them with a theory of causation, chapter two describes Lohorung relations with the superhuman world. For the Lohorung it is only by ritual action that they can retain the original order of their society which is constantly in nee...
The number of practicing Pagans in Britain is increasing dramatically, but still Paganism is shro... more The number of practicing Pagans in Britain is increasing dramatically, but still Paganism is shrouded in a cloak of fear and misunderstanding. This collection of views reflects the diversity of traditions and thinking that characterize modern Paganism. The book looks at topics such as: whether Paganism is an ancient tradition or a new religion; a survey of the main magical groups in Britain; the goddess as a source of healing for modern women; the effect of WICCA on the practitioners of that tradition; what druids do; and being a Celt - is it a matter of spirit of heritage?
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
Abstract The number of practicing Pagans in Britain is increasing dramatically, but still Paganis... more Abstract The number of practicing Pagans in Britain is increasing dramatically, but still Paganism is shrouded in a cloak of fear and misunderstanding. This collection of views reflects the diversity of traditions and thinking that characterize modern Paganism. The ...
The Invention of Sacred Tradition, 2007
Hardman, C. E. (2007) '"He may be lying but what he says is true": the sacred tradition of don Ju... more Hardman, C. E. (2007) '"He may be lying but what he says is true": the sacred tradition of don Juan as reported by Carlos Castaneda, anthropologist, trickster, guru, allegorist.', in The invention of sacred tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 38-55.
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2008
Religion, 1996
... shaman, the mangpa. The following rite performed by the priest exemplifies the extent to whic... more ... shaman, the mangpa. The following rite performed by the priest exemplifies the extent to which saya is linked to the ancestors and how it has to do with returning vitality to the 'sick' person whose saya has fallen. The ritual requires ...
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Papers by Charlotte Hardman