March 26, 1999

Marginal Realities: Insider Scholarship in a 'Magical World'

By NANCY RAMSEY

As a sociologist and a scholar of religious studies, I do research on Wicca, or witchcraft. I also possess another identity: I am a witch.

Many scholars would claim that no insider can conduct objective research about his or her own group. The problem of insiders' credibility is compounded in my case because of popular attitudes about witches, which range from mockery to fear and prejudice. When I attend

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