From Yoga to Kabbalah Religious Exoticism and the Logics of Bricolage [Paperback]

Religious exoticism implies a deeply ambivalent relationship to otherness and to religion itself: traditional religious teachings are uprooted and fragmented in order to be appropriated as practical methods for personal growth. Western contemporary societies have seen the massive popularization of such exotic religious resources as yoga and meditation, Shamanism, Buddhism, Sufism, and Kabbalah. V?ronique Altglas shows that these trends inform us about how religious resources are disseminated globally, as well as how the self is constructed in society. She uses two case studies: the Hindu-based movements in France and Britain that started in the 1970s, and the Kabbalah Centre in France, Britain, Brazil, and Israel. She draws upon major qualitative and cross-cultural empirical investigations to conceptualize religious exoticism and offer a nuanced and original understanding of its contemporary significance.From Yoga to Kabbalahbroadens scholarly understanding of the globalization of religion, how religions are modified through cultural encounters, and of religious life in neoliberal societies.

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Cultural and Historical Dimensions of Religious Exoticism
Chapter 2: Religious Exoticism, Belonging and Identities: the Discomfort of Bricolage
Chapter 3: Universalizing and De-contextualizing Exotic Religious Resources
Chapter 4: Universalistic Ambitions, Local Realities: Bricolage in (national) context
Chapter 5: The Psychologization of Exotic Religious Resources
Chapter 6: Bricolage and the Social Significance of Self-realization
Chapter 7: Religious Exoticism and the New Petite Bourgeoisie

Conclusion
References
Index

[Altglas's] research evokes intriguing questions that the field should interrogate Altglas's corrective analysis-that individuals (and their individualized forms of bricolage) are always socially situated, if not determined-supplies a welcome rejoinder in the field, andl³$