A Network of Awakening Souls

Examining New Age Facebook Groups in Australia

Authors

  • Misha Hoo University of New England

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.39744

Keywords:

Religious Studies, Cultural Studies, New Media Studies

Abstract

The New Age spiritual milieu has been characterised as increasingly diffuse and lacking in cohesion as it evolves away from its counter-cultural and millenarian roots. It has also been criticised for its dependence on capitalist-driven consumption, with noticeably less attention given to what the New Age produces. However, whilst New Age certainly relies on the free market to sustain a multitude of spiritual businesses, its facilitators also play an instrumental role in the dissemination of ideologies and the building of community based on a shared ethos. Markets can therefore function as sites for meaningful enquiry into the ideologies, activities and cohesiveness of New Age culture. An examination of New Age Facebook groups in Australia demonstrates the spiritual milieu is less fragmented than it may appear. Instead, this national network is unified by its shared values and bound together by a core doctrine of holistic self-spirituality.

Author Biography

  • Misha Hoo, University of New England

    Misha Hoo is a Masters Candidate in Studies in Religion at the University of New England, Australia.

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Published

2020-07-23

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Hoo, M. (2020). A Network of Awakening Souls: Examining New Age Facebook Groups in Australia. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 33(1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.39744