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Contemporary alternative spirituality, as studied by sociologists,
is usually seen as a recent phenomenon dating from the 1960s and
1970s. However, when viewed from a longer-term perspective this
form of religious expression is actually seen to reintroduce
concepts that recur throughout Western cultural history. This book
argues, therefore, that spirituality in the 21st Century actually
shares many of the same characteristics as Classical, Mediaeval,
Renaissance and Modern spiritualities. It is neither entirely new,
nor is it clearly alternative to more established religions. The
book is divided into two parts. The first sets out the context in
which contemporary alternative spirituality has formed, charting
its development as an academic term and a social phenomenon. The
second part looks at how these two elements have developed in
countries that are historically Catholic, focussing on specific
examples in contemporary Italy: spiritualities based on the
sacralisation of nature; those concerned with health and wellbeing;
and those which are fascinated by mystery.Catholic majority
countries are particularly interesting in this instance, as the
Catholic Church has a unique cultural hegemony with which to
compare alternative spiritual practices. It concludes that
spirituality, if framed in a longer historical perspective, is a
way of acting and seeing the world which was built, and continues
to be built upon complex relations with various contradictory
sources of authority, such as religion, magic thinking, secularism,
rationalism, various spheres of lay culture. This is a bold take on
the spirituality milieu and as such will be of great interest to
scholars of Religious Studies working on the sociology of religion,
contemporary spirituality and the rise of the "spiritual but not
religious".
Contemporary alternative spirituality, as studied by sociologists,
is usually seen as a recent phenomenon dating from the 1960s and
1970s. However, when viewed from a longer-term perspective this
form of religious expression is actually seen to reintroduce
concepts that recur throughout Western cultural history. This book
argues, therefore, that spirituality in the 21st Century actually
shares many of the same characteristics as Classical, Mediaeval,
Renaissance and Modern spiritualities. It is neither entirely new,
nor is it clearly alternative to more established religions. The
book is divided into two parts. The first sets out the context in
which contemporary alternative spirituality has formed, charting
its development as an academic term and a social phenomenon. The
second part looks at how these two elements have developed in
countries that are historically Catholic, focussing on specific
examples in contemporary Italy: spiritualities based on the
sacralisation of nature; those concerned with health and wellbeing;
and those which are fascinated by mystery.Catholic majority
countries are particularly interesting in this instance, as the
Catholic Church has a unique cultural hegemony with which to
compare alternative spiritual practices. It concludes that
spirituality, if framed in a longer historical perspective, is a
way of acting and seeing the world which was built, and continues
to be built upon complex relations with various contradictory
sources of authority, such as religion, magic thinking, secularism,
rationalism, various spheres of lay culture. This is a bold take on
the spirituality milieu and as such will be of great interest to
scholars of Religious Studies working on the sociology of religion,
contemporary spirituality and the rise of the "spiritual but not
religious".
The Damanhur Federation, situated in Valchiusella, North-West
Italy, is one of Europe's longest-lasting spiritual-esoteric
communities. Nevertheless, there has hitherto been nearly no
scientific study of this group, with the exception of a handful of
specialised-journal articles. This collection fills that gap by
collating the various scholarly contributions which over the years
have dealt with Damanhur, aiming to present the phenomenon to a
public of specialists, students and people who are just curious in
a volume focusing on the multidisciplinary nature of the community
as a whole. We consider the various spheres making up the social,
cultural, spiritual and organisational life of Damanhur through
analysis and interpretation of its historical evolution and more
recent changes which have affected the community since its
founder's death. The contributions combine field research with
theoretical reflection, making use of both qualitative (discursive
interviews and participant observation) and quantitative
(questionnaires) methods.
This book explores manifestations of creativity in the religious
domain. Specifically, the contributions focus on the nexus of the
sacred and the creative, and the mechanisms of syncretism and
(re)invention of tradition by which this manifestations occur. The
text is divided into two sections. In the first, empirical cases of
spirituality characterized by syncretistic processes are
highlighted; in the second, examples which can be traced back to
forms of the (re)invention of tradition are examined. The authors
document possible forms of adaptations and religious enculturation.
In the second, the authors demonstrate that spiritual traditions,
whether ancient or historically fictitious, are suitable for
reframing in the context of critical interpretative frameworks
related to cultural expectations which challenge them and call
their continuity into question.
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