Academia & the Goddess Movement

As an academic it is important for me to know, for knowledge's sake, what practices and beliefs are authentic to the past and which ones are modern developments. Those involved with the NeoPagan Goddess movement often rely on research regarding ancient religions that interest them, in an attempt to imitate them as authentically as possible. Others may take note of information, from both academic and popular sources, and redirect it for their own interepretations and uses, without much focus on historical authenticity or active debates. The purpose of this thesis is not to analyse which of these approaches is the more valid or spiritually fulfilling; instead it aims to identify the relationship between followers of the Goddess cults and academic research, both in ideology and practice. This will highlight the impact that this relationship has had on contemporary western perceptions of the ancient Mediterraean.