Contemporary Spiritualities
Social and Religious Contexts
Clive Erricker editor Jane Erricker editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:1st Aug '01
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Spirituality is most often understood as a religious term remote from the social interactions of everyday life and from political motivations. This volume seeks to show that this is an erroneous view and that, unless we attend to the spiritual as a motivating force in the lives of individuals and communities, we shall misconceive the nature of social change and political complexity and lack awareness of the value of writing and thinking on the subject in relation to contemporary issues. In a world dominated by globalization and late-capitalist free-market economics we face a situation of increasing complexity in human affairs. In this context, diverse notions of the spiritual in relation to culture and identity are critical forces that require careful attention. Contemporary Spiritualities is an innovative study based on research into the significance of influential writers and thinkers and diverse communities. It seeks to map influences on the notion of the spiritual in relation to the cultural and religious plurality of contemporary society. It also promotes the importance of attending to spirituality in both academic and a socio-politcal context.Clive Erricker is Reader in the Study of Religions at University College Chichester. Jane Erricker is Principal Lecturer and Director of Research in the School of Education at King Alfred's College, Winchester.
"The volume [...] demonstrates that the spiritual is essential to understanding human behaviour . . . It also opens a chink in the curtain between the canonically religious and the implicitly spiritual. The Religious Studies of the last two centuries may prove to have been the preparation for the investigation of such secularity." --Journal of Contemporary Religion 17.2 (2002)
"The book is readable and coherent." --Theological Book Review Feed the Minds
"There is a lot of useful material here: readers looking for an introduction to Taize, the Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Amish, or figures such as Merton, Griffiths or the Dalai Lama, will find this book helpful. The second half of the book also stimulates to reflection on how to live a communal faith within post-modern culture. May of the issues it raises are vital ones: feminism, the nature of spiritual experience, how faith communities work, inter-faith relations, and the connection between prayer and social justice." --David Keen, Yeovil ANVIL 19.3, 2002
"Contemporary Spiritualities is a welcome addition to the body of knowledge concerning the diversity of communities that organise both individual and communal life founded around the centrality of the sacred....the volume offers a wide range of religious and spiritual experience encompassing both individuals and communities...There is plenty to ponder in this volume..." -- International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 2002
ISBN: 9780826449481
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 410g
288 pages