Paul Heelas

Gebundenes Buch

Spiritualities of Life

New Age Romanticism and Consumptive Capitalism

Beschreibung

This enlightening book explores the ways in which inner-life spirituality has been experienced, understood, and valued in western society. In doing so, it traces the development of modern spiritualities of life, from the origins of Romanticism in the late-eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture. The result is an insightful account of the spiritual landscape. In a provocative argument, Heelas takes on the belief that holistic spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back. He contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the "good life". These expressivist and humanist spiritualities, he argues, are helping us to find balance in the face of the suffocating demands of twenty-first century living. Building on The Spiritual Revolution (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and The New Age Movement (1996), Spiritualities of Life completes a trilogy of books by this acknowledged world leader in the field.

Autor

Paul Heelas is Professor in Religion and Modernity in the Department of Religious Studies at Lancaster University. For some thirty years he has published extensively, including The New Age Movement (Blackwell, 1996) and The Spiritual Revolution (Blackwell, 2005, with Linda Woodhead), and is one of the world's leading authorities on the study of contemporary spiritualities.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 11. April 2008
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 236mm x 153mm x 21mm
• Gewicht: 553g
• ISBN-13: 9781405139373
• ISBN-10: 1405139374
• Artikelnr.: 23561586

Rezensionen

"A welcome contribution to many areas in the study of religion andculture ... .An alternative to the popular idea that everythingwithin the New Age can be denounced as simple individualistconsumerism." (Reviews in Religion and Theology, January2010)

"[Heelas] convinced me, a skeptic when encountering his book,that new age philosophies are more complex than their AmericanJournal of Sociology critics allow." (American Journal ofSociology, November 2009)

"Heelas' style is, as ever, measured, elegant and good-humored,and this book will undoubtedly appeal to, and be accessible to,those outside the academy who are interested in religion andculture, and who might wish to think through the changing spirituallandscape in Britain

today." (Theology, November 2009)

"His emphasis is on inner-life spirituality or simply'spiritualities of life,' rooted in a universal human potential anddeveloped by a variety of effective practices. [He] makes plausiblethe importance of holistic forms of complementary and alternativemedicine. Recommended." (CHOICE, November 2008)"Well prepared after his path-breaking books The New AgeMovement (1996) and The Spiritual Revolution (2005, withLinda Woodhead), Paul Heelas now bravely enters the minefield.Tracing the trajectory of spiritualities of life from the Romanticsto contemporary wellbeing culture, he convincingly critiques thewidespread tendency to depict them as 'mere consumption'. Wellwritten, clearly argued, and richly documented, Spiritualitiesof Life sheds light on contemporary spirituality and consumerculture alike."
-Dick Houtman, Erasmus University, the Netherlands

"This is an engaging and lively discussion about the nature ofspirituality in contemporary society. It shows Heelas at his best -original, creative, imaginative and searching intellectualquestions."
-Jeremy R. Carette, Kent University

"Paul Heelas' work in charting the subjective turn incontemporary spiritualities has been one of the most importantcontributions to the field of the sociology of religion in the pastdecade. In Spiritualities of Life, Heelas offers apassionate defence of this spiritual movement, and argues that itrepresents a viable moral and cultural resource for the modernworld. By positioning himself as an advocate of the movement thathe has traced so effectively, Heelas poses questions about thenature of the good life and contemporary forms of the sacred thatno serious scholar of religion can afford to ignore."
-Gordon Lynch, Birbeck College, London

"The quicksilver shape of popular spirituality today is hard tohold in focus... This sharp-eyed, sure-footed book is equal tothe task, and unequaled in its revelations of a God within theunbounded self of an expressive humanism that embraces all oflife."
-Steven M. Tipton, Emory University