Sauna Culture, Sweat and Spirituality: On the Architectonics and Cosmology of Sacred Space

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Kaarina Kailo

Sauna Culture, Sweat and Spirituality

On the Architectonics and Cosmology of Sacred Space

Kaarina Kailo

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Hardback

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English

Springer International Publishing AG
28 June 2025

Spiritualism; Gender studies, gender groups; Sociology; Social & cultural anthropology; Political science & theory

Series: Springer Studies on Populism, Identity Politics and Social Justice

This book explores spiritual and sacred practices in Finnish saunas and Native North American sweat lodges through a comparative study. It also sheds light on ancient traditions from Ireland and Galicia, tracing their evolution and shared spiritual features. The book further analyzes gendered rituals, woman-centered lifeways, and cyclical worldviews rooted in rebirth and regeneration.

This book shows how these practices reflect a deep, cross-cultural matrix of symbols celebrating Heaven and Earth. It presents the Delaware Sweat Lodge and Big House as prototypes of sacred structures for world renewal and their connections to sauna cultures worldwide.

By defining key concepts from patriarchal, feminist, and Indigenous perspectives, this book challenges normative, unquestioned notions of the sacred and the divine. The book's interdisciplinary approach will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of gender studies, Indigenous studies, cultural studies, religious studies, philosophy, and anthropology interested in a better understanding of how ancient rituals hold ecological significance for addressing today’s planetary crises and social imbalances, revealing like-mindedness across diverse faith traditions.

By: Kaarina Kailo
Imprint: Springer International Publishing AG
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm,
ISBN: 9783031879340
ISBN 10: 3031879341
Series: Springer Studies on Populism, Identity Politics and Social Justice
Pages: 410
Publication Date: 28 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kaarina Kailo, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor at Oulu University, Finland, and a writer, scholar, politician, and former professor of women’s studies, as well as a self-made artist who illustrates her books, to make science visible and more aesthetic. She has published hundreds of texts, articles, and books on comparative mythology, mother goddesses in the North, eco-mythology, ecofeminism, spiritual saunas, and sweat lodges, Northern women’s culture, the gift imaginary, and the bear religion. She has held women’s studies positions in Canada and Finland and as a senior fellow at the Finnish academy. She is a fellow of the Archeomythological Institute's European branch and focuses on peaceful, egalitarian cultures such as the Danube Civilization and healing traditions, especially in the sauna.