Political Anthropology of Native Faith

Abstract (English)

Contemporary Paganism is typically approached as a religious phenomenon, with primary emphasis placed on spirituality, theology, and belief systems. Early discussions of its political dimension often assumed a clear geographical split, associating right-wing forms of Paganism with Eastern Europe and left-wing variants with the West. However, empirical research has shown that this political split operates independently of geography. In an important study von Schnurbein demonstrated recently that Germanic Paganism assumes three distinct forms, shaped by differing (socio-political) views on society.
While binary or even ternary classifications remain instructive, I argue that they ultimately oversimplify the political complexity of Pagan communities. In this paper, I explore the political anthropology of “Native Faith” (Rodzimowierstwo) in Poland by identifying five distinct political orientations: far right, right, center, left, and far left. Although these categories are theoretically stable, I will show that in practice they are context-dependent, subject to change over time, and frequently traversed by individuals, groups, and initiatives. This nuanced approach, reflecting on such topics as National Socialism, Zadruga philosophy, polytheism, LGBT+ or animism, offers a more comprehensive understanding of the intersection between contemporary Paganism and politics.