Sensing ‘Subtle Spirituality’ among Environmentalists: A Swiss Study

This article examines the emergence, in the Swiss context, of a new category of ecologically oriented ‘spiritual’ activists. The authors look at empirical studies conducted internationally on the link between religion and environmentalism and argue that ‘spiritually oriented activists’ are rarely in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Authors: Becci, Irene 1973- (Author) ; Monnot, Christophe 1978- (Author) ; Wernli, Boris 1968- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox Publ. 2021
In: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Further subjects:B ENVIRONMENTAL activism
B Spiritualization of ecology
B contemporary spirituality
B Dark green religion
B Gender
B ecology-religion debate
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:This article examines the emergence, in the Swiss context, of a new category of ecologically oriented ‘spiritual’ activists. The authors look at empirical studies conducted internationally on the link between religion and environmentalism and argue that ‘spiritually oriented activists’ are rarely investigated in quantitative studies. The authors then examine the findings of a case study of local milieus in two Swiss cities and nationwide data collected as part of the Swiss Household Panel (SHP). They close the gap between results coming from case studies, on the one hand, and representative studies, on the other, by introducing the variable of spirituality into quantitative research. The results suggest that an ecological milieu is emerging comprised of people who are located politically on the left, do not self-identify as religious, but nonetheless practice meditation and have holistic feelings. The forms of spirituality practiced by these ecologists are ‘subtle’ in the sense of being adaptable, located in the background, and supportive of sustainability.
ISSN:1749-4915
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.40147