Aarhus Universitets segl

New Age in India: Economy and religion revisited

Foredrag af Kathinka Frøystad, professor på Universitetet i Oslo

Oplysninger om arrangementet

Tidspunkt

Fredag 25. august 2017,  kl. 10:15 - 12:00

Sted

Bygning 1451, lokale 515, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 3

Abstract

One of the latest transformations of Hinduism concerns the appropriation of Western New Age influences, which in the 1990s and 2000s gave rise to a burgeoning “spiritual” field dominated by urban middle-class Hindus. This paper discusses the growth and fuzzy contours of this field while examining the background for its emergence at this particular point of time. Drawing on psychology-inspired social theory, it argues that the rapid societal changes brought about by the liberalization of India’s economy created a demand for self-development techniques that facilitated adjustment to these changes. The paper also discusses some of the India-specific traits that New Age-inspired religious movements moved on to develop in this part of the world.