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Religious exoticism implies a deeply ambivalent relationship to otherness and to religion itself: traditional religious teachings are uprooted and fragmented in order to be appropriated as practical methods for personal growth. Western contemporary societies have seen the massive popularization of such "exotic" religious resources as yoga and meditation, Shamanism, Buddhism, Sufism, and Kabbalah. Véronique Altglas shows that these trends inform us about how religious resources are disseminated globally, as well as how the self is constructed in society. She uses two case studies: the Hindu-based movements in France and Britain that started in the 1970s, and the Kabbalah Centre in France, Britain, Brazil, and Israel. She draws upon major qualitative and cross-cultural empirical investigations to conceptualize religious exoticism and offer a nuanced and original understanding of its contemporary significance. From Yoga to Kabbalah broadens scholarly understanding of the globalization of religion, how religions are modified through cultural encounters, and of religious life in neoliberal societies.
This book investigates the phenomenon of religious exoticism to understand how traditional spiritual practices are fragmented and repurposed within contemporary neoliberal societies. Véronique Altglas, a sociologist specializing in the study of religion, utilizes extensive qualitative research and cross-cultural empirical data to analyze the dissemination of global religious resources. She argues that the appropriation of traditions like yoga and Kabbalah reflects broader shifts in how individuals construct their identities and how religious movements adapt to globalized cultural encounters.
What You Will Find
Scholars in the sociology of religion recognize this work as a rigorous contribution to the study of globalized spiritual movements. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the precision with which Altglas navigates the complexities of religious adaptation in modern society.
Page Count:
408
Publication Date:
2014-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199997640
ISBN-13:
9780199997640
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