Spiritualities of Life: New Age Romanticism and Consumptive Capitalism (Religion and Spirituality in the Modern World) Paperback - 2008 - 1st Edition

Religiom and Spirituality in the Moder World

"Well prepared after his pathbreaking books The New Age Movement and The Spiritual Revolution, Paul Heelas now bravely enters the minefield. Tracing the trajectory of spiritualities of life from the Romantics to contemporary wellbeing culture, he convincingly critiques the widespread tendency to depict them as 'mere consumption'. Well written, clearly argued, and richly documented, Spiritualities of Life sheds light on contemporary spirituality and consumer culture alike."
Dick Houtman, Erasmus University, The Netherlands

"This is an engaging and lively discussion about the nature of spirituality in contemporary society. It shows Heelas at his best - original, creative, imaginative."
Jeremy R. Corette, University of Kent

"Paul Hee las' work in charting the subjective turn in contemporary spiritualities has been one of the most important contributions to the field of the sociology of religion in the past decade. In Spiritualities of Life, Heelas offers a passionate defence of this spiritual movement, and argues that it represents a viable moral and cultural resource for the modern world. By positioning himself as an advocate of the movement that he has traced so effectively, Heelas poses questions about the nature of the 'good life' and contemporary forms of the sacred that no serious scholar of religion can afford to ignore."
Gordon Lynch, University of London

This enlightening book explores the ways in which inner-life spirituality has been experienced, understood, and valued in western society. In doing so, it traces the development of modern spiritualities of life, from the origins of Romanticism in the late-eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture. The result is an insightful account of the spiritual landscape.

In a provocative argument, Heelas takes on the belief that holistic spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back. He contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the "good life". These expressivist and humanist spiritualities, he argues, are helping us to find balance in the face of the suffocating demands of twenty-first century living.

Building on The Spiritual Revolution [ 2005, with Linda Woodhead] and The New Age Movement [1996). Spiritualities of Life completes a trilogy of books by this acknowledged world leader in the field.