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 yoga’s role in disseminating SBNR values, Lucia offers new ways of comprehending transformational festivals as significant cultural phenomena.
By:
Amanda J. Lucia
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780520376953
ISBN 10: 0520376951
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 13 October 2020
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
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
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.
Reviews for White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals
"""Lucia’s 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 * ""Lucia’s 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 *"
