REL, Religion and Nature: Witchcraft, Nordic Shamanism, Esotericism and Spiritual Relations with the More-Than-Human (F27)

The 21st century is often characterised as an era of environmental crisis, argued to have grown out of the Western human–nature separation, consequently placing the human species above nature and fostering domination and exploitation of the natural world. However, other worldviews that are often marginalised, overlooked, or systematically oppressed have existed alongside this dominant narrative, seeking an equal and caring relationship to the more-than-human.

This course explores these entangled relationships between humans and the more-than-human world through the study of religion, focusing on spiritual practices, including witchcraft and Nordic shamanism. Exploring both historical sources of magical practices in the Middle Ages and contemporary rituals in earth-based spiritual communities, the course examines how humans relate to the more-than-human world, including ecosystems, the natural elements, matter, animals, plants, spirits and technologies.

Central to the course is the relational turn, the more-than-human, a scholarly paradigm emerging across the humanities that challenges human exceptionalism and emphasises interdependence, hybridity, care, and relationality. Students will engage with key theoretical frameworks including posthumanism, new materialism, and environmental humanities to critically analyse how religion and spirituality shapes and is shaped by human–more-than-human entanglements. Through readings, discussion, and historical and ethnographic examples, the course encourages reflection on the methodological and ethical challenges of studying religion in the Anthropocene, offering insight into how earth-based spiritual and scholarly practices respond to environmental crises.