A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s
Explore the ‘crisis’ of traditional religion in the 1960s and the development of Wicca as a new religion. Reflect on the significance of a ‘spiritual revolution’ and its impact on contemporary religion. Engage with media as primary sources in studying religious change in the Sixties.
This free course, A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s looks at the ‘crisis’ of traditional religion in the Sixties in the Western world. It explores the process of religious renewal, looking at the
Development of Wicca, the prototypical form of modern Paganism. Originally presented as a Goddess religion of great antiquity, which had survived the Roman invasion and Church persecution, Wicca is in fact best seen as a new religion, clearly belonging
To an age in which sexual norms, gender roles and traditional power structures were changing. It questions to what degree we can view religious change in the 1960s as spiritual revolution.
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A113 Revolutions63. and is part of a set of four
OpenLearn courses, covering Revolutions of the Sixties.
Transcript
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
Consider the complexities involved in the study of religious change in the Sixties
Reflect on the possible different meanings of ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’, how this might relate to cultural shifts, and the significance of a ‘spiritual revolution’ for contemporary religion
Engage with media as primary sources.