Spirituality, Wellbeing and Risks

While there has been substantive research conducted on rising religious diversity and the non-religious in recent years, spirituality remains typically marginalised and/or trivialised in academic and political spheres, despite its popularity. A small but growing sub-field of scholars, led by Anna Fedele and Kim E. Knibbe (2020) are calling for contemporary studies of religion, and policies pertaining to religion, to move beyond the binary of religion and the secular, toward a triangular model of religion, the secular/non-religion, and spirituality. This is of particular relevance, not only due to the enduring and growing popularity of spirituality and the wellness industry accelerated by social media, but to a rise of interest in human and planetary wellbeing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. In addition, science is increasingly used to substantiate the benefits of spiritual practices. At the same time, significant risks associated with wellbeing influencers and spiritual movements are also emerging regarding issues of dis/misinformation, nationalism, and violence challenging spirituality’s peaceful stereotype. This session calls for papers on First Nations, religious and holistic spirituality in diverse contexts, and its associations with wellbeing and/or risks.