Contemporary Druidry: A Native Tradition?

The popular view of Druidry is that it is a peculiar, anachronistic pastime, of little relevance to society today. However, far removed from ancient or even Victorian representations, contemporary Druidry is positioning itself as an ‘indigenous religion’ that responds to today’s world. Contemporary Druidry has evolved considerably since its modern beginnings in 18th century England and in September 2010 The Druid Network was registered as a religious charity by the Charity Commission in the UK. Druid orders have long been representing themselves as the native or indigenous tradition of Britain, challenging existing definitions of ‘indigenous religion’ as a kinship-based religion of first peoples.

In the first book of its kind, Suzanne Owen explores the problems with defining and categorising Druidry, offers a study of current Druid movements and activities, and discusses differing concepts of emplacement and indigeneity. Her fascinating research is based upon a mixture of discourse analysis of print and on-line texts written by contemporary Druids, interviews and participant observation, making this book the definitive guide to contemporary British Druidry.