“Change is Brewing”: Women Finding Liberation in the Performative Rituals of Modern Paganism and the WITCH Organization

Authors

Katie Nelson, Kennesaw State UniversityFollow

Name of Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Thomas Fish

Faculty Sponsor Email

tfish2@kennesaw.edu

Author Bio(s)

Katie Nelson is a 2022 graduate of Kennesaw State University, where she received a BA in Theatre & Performance Studies and a minor in Psychology. Her interests include dramaturgy, feminist critical theory, arts administration, and photography. She currently serves as the Administrative Coordinator of the Boston University School of Theatre, and has earned a graduate certificate in Arts Management from BU. Katie has presented past versions of "Change is Brewing" at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (2022), the Kennesaw Symposium of Student Scholars (2022 First Runner-Up), and in a working group at the American Society for Theatre Research conference (2023).

Publication Date

2-2025

Abstract

This project analyzes elements of performative Modern Paganism and Wiccan rituals used by the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (WITCH) group to determine how these performance practices can provide comfort and agency to those who have been systemically oppressed, particularly women in the United States. The project will focus on WITCH’s activist work, especially during the second wave feminist movement of the 1960-1970s, which used elements of Modern Paganism for social justice purposes by implementing them through guerilla theatre and zap actions. Methodologically, I will be reviewing sources such as performance photos, news articles, and testimonies from the women who found acceptance and comfort through engaging with Modern Paganism in a feminist context. My approach will implement the strategies of performance studies to examine how more obscure religious practices gave power to women beginning with the second wave feminist movement, and continuing into the twenty-first century. This paper explores how Modern Paganism goes hand in hand with feminist ideals to encourage women to intersectionally protect and support others who have faced parallel circumstances. Additionally, it will investigate how applying Wiccan customs to protests can promote human development because of how these unconventional methods can nurture confidence and open- mindedness. The project examines how the performative rituals of Modern Paganism provide agency to women because of the sense of community they cultivate, the validation of women’s problems they provide, and the space they give women to allow their voices to be heard.