Grinnell College’s Summer MAP Program Unveils Insights into Pagan Polarizations

This summer, Grinnell College’s Mentored Advanced Projects (MAP) program offered a unique glimpse into the evolving landscape of Paganism and Heathenry through the Pagan Polarizations MAP, led by Jennifer Snook, senior lecturer in sociology, and Jules Bacon, assistant professor of sociology. The project, which delves into the political and cultural shifts within these Nordic-rooted spiritual practices, has provided student participants with a valuable blend of research experience and personal growth.

The Pagan Polarizations MAP centered on two extensive surveys of Heathen and Pagan communities, conducted between 2019 and 2024. The project aims to analyze changes in demographics, political views, and practices among these groups, and to make the findings accessible through an interactive website.

“This MAP was an apprenticeship in the realities of non-linear, hands-on qualitative research,” explains Snook. “The students learned how, despite our best efforts during development, surveys are often imperfect instruments and there are many things that we cannot predict.”

Research and Responsibilities

The summer MAP team, consisting of rising seniors Graham Ward ’25, Grace Marsh ’25, and Theo Hadley ’25, tackled a range of tasks to advance the project’s goals. The students were involved in data cleaning, qualitative coding, and the creation of a public-facing website to visualize and disseminate the survey results.

Ward, a sociology major with a concentration in statistics, focused on developing the web application that will allow users to interact with the data. "I was drawn to this project because it allowed me to apply my data science skills to a new and intriguing area of sociology," he said. "Creating a user-friendly interface for this data was challenging but rewarding."

Marsh, who is pursuing a double major in sociology and psychology, compiled a literature review and coding qualitative data from recent Pagan media. She reflected on her experience: "Learning about the deep divisions within Paganism and Heathenry, such as the contrast between inclusive and far-right factions, was eye-opening. I had no idea about these internal conflicts before joining this project."

Hadley, majoring in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, as well as German, took on the task of qualitative coding and literature review. She appreciated the interdisciplinary nature of the project, which expanded her research skills beyond her usual focus. "I expected to engage more with data science but ended up doing a lot of qualitative analysis. It was a great opportunity to learn about thematic coding and the iterative nature of research," Hadley noted.

Challenges and Insights

The team encountered several challenges, including discrepancies between the two surveys and difficulties in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the political spectrum within Heathenry.

“I think the students really thought that research would be more linear,” says Snook. “You know, start with X, move to Y, then get Z. But they learned that plans constantly evolve, data emerges that makes you reconsider your focus, what you think you’ll find isn’t often what you actually find, and then you have to pivot to seeing what you can learn from the data in front of you, rather than the data you wanted.”

One of the major hurdles, explains Ward, was reconciling the differences between the 2019 and 2022 surveys. "There are gaps in the data that make it hard to compare across time periods, but we developed strategies to address this."

Hadley added, "The process has shown me that research is often non-linear. We had to adapt our methods as new questions and challenges arose, which was both frustrating and enlightening."

Adds Snook: “They learned that understanding the culture, lingo, and politics of a particular community of interest helps to ‘decode’ both what is being said, as well as what is not being said by participants. They also learned that no matter how well we plan, those plans will change as the research progresses.”

Collaborative Learning

The project not only provided opportunities for the students to advanced their individual academic and research skills but encouraged them to work as part of a team toward a common goal and to benefit from the expertise and guidance that came with working closely with Snook and Bacon.

"Collaborating with Professors Snook and Bacon has been a fantastic learning experience," Marsh said. "Their deep knowledge of Pagan studies and their practical approach to research have provided invaluable insights."

As Snook and Bacon continue to refine the project, the work done by Ward, Marsh, and Hadley will contribute to a broader understanding of these spiritual traditions and their evolving dynamics.

“This was a fantastic team and I’m really proud of the energy and focus that they put into the project,” says Snook. “It leaves me in a much better position with this data to create the website where people can access both surveys and see some of the literature that students read to help them contextualize the data.”

The student-developed website is now available for those interested in exploring the findings of the Pagan Polarizations MAP and the nuanced world of contemporary Heathenry and Paganism.