“DET KÄNNS SOM ATT JAG HAR KOMMIT HEM” En antropologisk studie om hur det nordiska, religiösa kulturarvet leder till gemenskap inom ett av Sveriges asatrosamfund

Abstract

This study aims to deepen the understanding of how belonging and community is created in one of the aesir faith communities in Sweden. The study examines the aesir faith communities ability to develop the community members religious identity as well as their understanding of the importance of cultural heritage and how it affects the members in their practices of their aesir faith. The main argument in this study is that cultural heritage creates a sense of community that makes the members want to stay and develop their religious identity together with the other members of the aesir faith community. I have used cultural heritage, symbols and rituals, belonging, community and religious identity as concepts in order to answer my research questions. The methods used in this study are participant observation during the group's public activities, as well as interviews with the members of the aesir faith community in order to confirm the analysis I made during the participant observation. The study is written in Swedish and all the empirical data has been collected in Västra Götaland and Uppland in Sweden.