The journal was established as a scholarly but not fully peer-reviewed publication in 1996 by Fritz Muntean and Diana Tracy with the subtitle A New Journal of Neopagan Thought. In 2001 the production of the journal was put on hiatus, as Muntean stepped down as editor, to be replaced by Clifton when it resumed publication, this time as a fully peer-reviewed academic publication and with its current subtitle.
History
The front cover to The Pomegranate: A New Journal of Neopagan Studies (issue 17 portrayed).
The idea for The Pomegranate was initially developed by Fritz Muntean, a graduate student in religious studies at the University of British Columbia in Canada, who started the venture with his friend Diana Tracy, who was then living in Oregon in the United States.[1] Initially naming their work The Pomegranate: A New Journal of Neopagan Thought, the stated intention of the publication was to "provide a scholarly venue for the forthright and critical examination of Neopagan beliefs and practices".[1] From 1996 to 2001, Muntean published 18 issues of The Pomegranate on a quarterly basis, gaining a growing readership as time went on, particularly after Muntean and Tracy introduced the journal to the assembled members at the third Nature Religions Scholars Network (NRSN), a group which met in conjunction with the annual San Francisco meeting of the American Academy of Religion.[1]
Muntean eventually decided to move on from his work as editor of The Pomegranate, leaving that position to be occupied by Clifton. Together, Muntean and Clifton searched for a new publisher, in 2003 eventually signing an agreement with Equinox Publishing.[1] Under Clifton's control, the journal's subtitle was changed to The International Journal of Pagan Studies and it adopted a peer review structure for the papers which it published.[2]
Clifton, Chas S. (2004). "The Pomegranate Returns from the Underworld: A Letter from the Editor". The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. Vol. 6, no. 1. London: Equinox. pp. 5–10.
