Paul Heelas

Spiritualities of Life (eBook, PDF)

New Age Romanticism and Consumptive Capitalism

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

This insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today's myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living. * An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western society * Traces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of today * Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back * Contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the 'good life', helping us to find balance in the demands of twenty-first century living * Written by an acknowledged world-leader working in the field * Completes a trilogy of books including The Spiritual Revolution (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and The New Age Movement (1996), charting the rise and influence of spirituality today.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
• Seitenzahl: 296
• Erscheinungstermin: 21. Januar 2009
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781444301113
• Artikelnr.: 38407025

Autorenporträt

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.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface.
Introduction.
PART I: PORTRAYING SPIRITUALITIES OF LIFE.
1 From the Romantics: The Repertoire.
2 Wellbeing Spirituality Today.
PART II: THE 'CONSUMING GROWTH' DEBATE.
3 The Debate.
4 The Language of Consumption and Consumeristic Aspects of
Mind-Body-Spiritualities of Life.
5 The Sacred and the Profane: Spiritual Direction or Consumer Preference?.
6 The Matter of Personal Significance: Profaned Superficiality?.
7 Work: Consumptive or Productive?.
PART III: TO WORK BEYOND THE CONSUMING SELF.
8 A 'Fag Ending' of the Sacred or Fit for the Future?.
9 Inside Out.
Epilogue: Birthright Spirituality Beyond the West.
Appendix: Evidence Indicative of Inner Life 'Beliefs'.
Notes.
References.
Name Index.
Subject Index: Some Main Themes and Arguments

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