We Are One: An Anthropological Introduction to Contemporary Spiritualities

What is spirituality? How is it different from religion? How is spirituality linked to well-being? In this course, we address some of the most widespread ideas and practices within contemporary spiritualities with an anthropological lens. We read scholarly work, for example, on astrology, Tarot, and divination; Reiki and energy healing; mediumship and near-death experiences; unidentified flying objects; and conspirituality. We discuss their relation to neoliberalism and material culture; their role in healing and in popular culture; and their connections with politics, time, environmentalism, the senses, and non-rational ways of knowing. We do so through ethnographic readings, films, music, arts, discussions, and independent research. By engaging with ethnographic works, students become acquainted with or deepen their knowledge of the main issues, traditions, debates, and research in the field of the anthropology of religion and spirituality.