Everyday Spirituality

This book puts spirit back at the heart of spirituality. By exploring the everyday impacts of alternative spiritual beliefs and practices, the book examines contemporary spirituality and how critical social science can map and understand it.

'This book is exciting, timely and raises key challenges for social science theory and methodology. It will contribute to debates not just about spirituality, but also about how we theorize the nature of the contemporary social world.' - Jennifer Mason, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life, University of Manchester, UK

'Mackian illuminates the "geography" inhabited by her spiritual practitioners, connecting self with social with material with spirit

worlds. Everyday Spirituality is brilliantly written, with a firm and fascinating grip on the literature, studded with gems of discourse and ethnographic detail. We needed this holistic, experientially-based account to help make sense of today's lived spirituality and "enchanted modernity".' - Charles F. Emmons, Professor of Sociology, Gettysburg College, USA, and co-author with Penelope Emmons of Science and Spirit and Guided by Spirit

'This is a critical volume. As rapidly becomes apparent, Sara MacKian is by no means adverse to criticizing familiar perspectives on more alternative spiritualities, the present reviewer's efforts included. This is all to the good. Yet more to the good, the constructive criticism paves the way for MacKian's extension of perspectives to the everyday. The focus lies with the relational, oft-experientially charged or magical 'therapeutic landscapes of living', firmly within 'socio-spiritual worlds': not with the more traditional focus of specialized, frequently income-generating holistic activities per se. Overall, a most welcoming move to normal life, taken to be in the 'spirit' of spirit.' - Paul Heelas, Senior Reseach Professor in the Sociology of Contemporary Spirituality, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

SARA MACKIAN Senior Lecturer in Health and Well being at The Open University, UK. Formerly Lecturer in Health Geographies at the University of Manchester, UK, her principal interest is in the everyday construction of worlds of experience. This has led to studies on spirituality, ME, parenting and sexuality. She has a particular interest in qualitative methodologies.