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White Utopias Amanda J. Lucia

White Utopias By Amanda J. Lucia

White Utopias by Amanda J. Lucia


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White Utopias Summary

White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals by Amanda J. Lucia

Transformational festivals, from Burning Man to Lightning in a Bottle, Bhakti Fest, and Wanderlust, are massive events that attract thousands of participants to sites around the world. In this groundbreaking book, Amanda J. Lucia shows how these festivals operate as religious institutions for spiritual, but not religious (SBNR) communities. Whereas previous research into SBNR practices and New Age religion has not addressed the predominantly white makeup of these communities, White Utopias examines the complicated, often contradictory relationships with race at these events, presenting an engrossing ethnography of SBNR practices. Lucia contends that participants create temporary utopias through their shared commitments to spiritual growth and human connection. But they also participate in religious exoticism by adopting Indigenous and Indic spiritualities, a practice that ultimately renders them exclusive, white utopias. Focusing on yogas role in disseminating SBNR values, Lucia offers new ways of comprehending transformational festivals as significant cultural phenomena.

White Utopias Reviews

"Lucias sharp analysis and enthusiasm for historical and theoretical context dominates the book." * High Country News *
"Being highly engaging and informative, this book is a valuable read for all scholars interested in contemporary questions of religion and spirituality." * Religious Studies Review *
"Lucias work brings an important and timely perspective on the racialised power dynamics of [spiritual but not religious] communities to the study of contemporary yoga." * Religion *

About Amanda J. Lucia

Amanda J. Lucia is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside, and the author of Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Author Note

Introduction

1. Romanticizing the Premodern: The Confluence of Indic and Indigenous Spiritualities
Interlude: Cultural Possession and Whiteness
2. Anxieties over Authenticity: American Yoga and the Problem of Whiteness
Interlude: White People Are on the Journey of Evolution
3. Deconstructing the Self: At the Limits of Asceticism
Interlude: Sculpting Bodies and Minds
4. Wonder, Awe, and Peak Experiences: Approaching Mystical Territories
Interlude: Producing Wonder / Branding Freedom
5. The Cathartic Freedom of Transformational Festivals: Neoliberal Escapes and Entrapments

Conclusion

Appendix 1: @Instagram Data for Public Figures Cited
Appendix 2: Methodology
Notes
References
Index

Additional information

CIN0520376951G
9780520376953
0520376951
White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals by Amanda J. Lucia
Used - Good
Paperback
University of California Press
2020-10-13
320
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - White Utopias