Giuseppe Barbera / Ilenia Contessa
The last four decades have seen the emergence and steady growth of ethnic religious studies in academia. It has all the major characteristics that define a religious studies subject, including peer-reviewed journals, annual conferences, a dedicated unit in the American Academy of Religions, and a visible contingent at the World Parliament of Religions. The discriminatorily selective artificial constraint in humanities that genuine research stems only from an objective non-adherent point of view has finally been consigned to the dustbin, and centuries of hidden knowledge has gushed out from the insiders of all traditions around the world. This treasure has significantly enriched not just religious studies but the entire humanities academic space. In Europe, this trend was driven primarily by the phenomenal growth in practicing membership within every ethnic faith of the continent, from Slavic traditions in Russia to Celtic Druidism in Ireland and from Asatru in Sweden to Hellenism in Greece. In the last twenty or so years, these groups have come out from practicing in secrecy to building temples and holding large gatherings in public spaces. Local, provincial, and national governments across Europe and the international organizations, including the European Union and the United Nations, either already have the framework to provide the necessary protection of their fundamental religious rights or are working with these traditions to remedy any gaps therein. The media, society in general, and even the scientific community have come to accept them as part and parcel of our multicultural world today. This book is a natural consequence of this great movement and is the voice of the adherents of the Roman Traditional Religion in Italy. The author combines facts and analyses with a dash of passion and storytelling to succinctly present a vast subject matter in this short introductory work. He demonstrates a unique style in this genre by presenting the content in a manner such that the work is at once useful for academics, lay readers, and of course, the adherents of his faith. This book is an excellent resource for researchers across humanities, including those in the classics department who are looking for fresh ideas, educators designing course work for satisfying the ever-growing demand for this subject from their student communities at not only the universities but also schools, the students themselves, adherents of the Roman traditional faith seeking a basic guide and for other ethnic faiths around the world who want to benefit from the experiences of their counterparts in Italy. Mythology corner is delighted to bring this wonderful work to the market and looks forward to collaborating closely with all stakeholders in this space for a continued mutually beneficial engagement. We hope you will enjoy reading this book and find it useful both professionally and personally.
