Possession, Power and the New Age

Ambiguities of Authority in Neoliberal Societies

By:

Matthew Wood

Format:

Paperback / softback

Series:

Theology and Religion in Interdisciplinary Perspective Series

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Description

This book provides a new sociological account of contemporary religious phenomena such as channelling, holistic healing, meditation and divination, which are usually classed as part of a New Age Movement. Drawing on his extensive ethnography carried out in the UK, alongside comparative studies in America and Europe, Matthew Wood criticises the view that such phenomena represent spirituality in which self-authority is paramount. Instead, he emphasises the role of social authority and the centrality of spirit possession, linking these to participants' class positions and experiences of secularisation. Informed by sociological and anthropological approaches to social power and practice, especially the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, Wood's study explores what he calls the nonformative regions of the religious field, and charts similarities and differences with pagan, spiritualist and Theosophical traditions.

Author Biography:

Matthew Wood is Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast, UK.

Release date Australia

December 13th, 2021

Author

Matthew Wood

Audiences

General (US: Trade)
Tertiary Education (US: College)

Pages

214

Series

Theology and Religion in Interdisciplinary Perspective Series

ISBN-13

9781032243504

Product ID

35476554

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