Faces of Proteus: History of Modern Paganism as a Religious Identity by Dmitry Galtsin (review)

Given the scarcity of research-based literature on contemporary Paganism in the Russian language, this monograph by Dmitry Galtsin is indeed a welcome contribution. It is based on meticulous study and reflects the author's familiarity with both scholarly and insider discussions about modern Paganism in Russia and in the West. Galtin is not only providing an overview of this religious movement or cluster of religions, but also critically reviews research on the topic.

With the titular reference to Proteus, the ancient shape-shifting Greek god of the sea , Galtsin draws attention to the constantly changing nature of contemporary Paganism. Indeed, one of the biggest challenges in the study of this topic involves demarcating the phenomenon and selecting the terms that are used. Drawing boundaries between, for example, Paganism, esotericism, or New Age is always somewhat subjective and debatable. Adherents themselves are engaged in constant debates about appropriate terms and who can be considered as a legitimate representative of the religion. Moreover, what is not often discussed in the English language research literature, different languages and cultures contain their own connotations for different words. For example, Galtsin notes that while derivates of the word "paganism" may be considered as artificial imports in some countries, in Israel this term allows one to avoid the native term goy that includes the secondary meaning of non-belief, contains strong negative connotations, and is associated with other-than-Jewish ethnicities. At the same time, as Galtsin points out, confining oneself to emic terminology narrows the analysis and may bias our understanding of the religion.

In his analysis, Galtsin applies a constructivist approach, and his criticism of essentialism in the study of Paganism both in Russia and in the West is insightful and well justified. Galtsin introduces a useful typology of four approaches in the study of Paganism: theological, essentialist, constructivist, and historical. While Galtsin's analysis of these different approaches in the study of Paganism is insightful, it seems odd that he does not discuss the debates evoked by the article "What is Wrong with Pagan Studies?" (2012) by Markus Altena Davidsen, who criticized this field of study for being dominated by insider perspective and a scarcity of critical approaches.

In his account of the history of contemporary Paganism, Galtsin starts from the emergence of the term and continues to the rediscovery of pre-Christian culture and spirituality, beginning from the era of Renaissance. Drawing on such previous studies as Ronald Hutton's pioneering The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft (1999) Galtsin explores different interpretations and representations of Paganism in European history. However, before the twentieth century only a very few individuals explicitly subscribed to Paganism as a religion and an alternative to Christianity. Galtsin makes a convincing argument that the requirements for a positive assessment of Paganism and appropriation of it as a (new or revived) religion include at least some amount of religious freedom, secular culture, and level of education.

Galtsin's account of modern Pagan movements is extensive. The amount of research and source literature is impressive, consisting of publications and online texts in English, Russian, German, and French. In addition to the most well-known and influential cases he introduces several marginal but still fascinating thinkers or groupings. Notable by his absence is Gerald Gardner and the early days of Wicca, the omittance of which Galtsin explains by the existence of other studies on this topic in Russian. Though I can understand that writing about something that seems so familiar and much discussed may seem dreary, leaving such important pieces out of the picture is nevertheless unfortunate. Moreover, even though there is so much literature on Gerald Gardner (in Russian as well as in other languages), it would have been nice to read Galtsin's interpretation of this complex figure and the formation of Wicca as a religion.

In addition to the history of contemporary Paganism, Galtsin is also wellversed with more recent trends...