ABSTRACT
The word pagan comes from a Latin root meaning rustic or peasant. Because the early Christians were primarily urban, pagan came to refer to country-dwellers who continued to practise earth-centred pre-Christian religions. Neo-pagans follow a nature-oriented spiritual path and claim ties to pre-Christian religion. A paradigm is a network of assumptions that shape the perception of reality shared by a particular community. The notion of paradigms is central to the work of the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn. Feminist understanding of participant observation highlights the tensions involved. Academic research processes are usually reported in an impersonal, sanitised way denying the role of the personal. In her metaphorical reconstruction of the origins of political society, Pateman suggests the first political act was rape. This primal rape or sexual contract is revived in the heterosexual marriage and prostitution contracts, both of which appear to hinge on consent but are actually coercive and serve male sexual desire.
