The New Age paradox: spiritual consumerism and traditional authority at the Child of Nature festival in Russia

Sadovina, Irina

doi:10.1080/13537903.2016.1256653

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…38 Prabhupada's capacious conception of Vedic culture is consonant with the vague conception of Vedic Wisdom in Russia's alternative spirituality circles today. 39 Drawing on this ambiguity, Torsunov liberally invokes Vedic Wisdom. He owes his fame, however, to one specific aspect of this discourse: Vedic Femininity.…”

Section: Torsunov and His Vedic Wisdommentioning

confidence: 99%

Legitimating New Religiosity in Contemporary Russia

Sadovina¹

2021

Nova Religio

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Attitudes toward alternative spirituality in Russia are shaped by legislative limitations on religious freedom, the state’s traditionalism, and Russian Orthodox anticultism. Nevertheless, public personalities associated with new religious movements persist and flourish. Oleg Torsunov, popularizer of Vedic Psychology and holistic medicine, is a striking example. Despite ongoing controversies about his religious affiliation, medical claims, and gender ideology, Torsunov continues to attract followers. This article examines why public figures such as Torsunov seem unsinkable in hostile cultural environments. Mapping the heated discursive landscape surrounding Torsunov, I argue that the secret to this resilience is a “legitimation lattice”—the strategy of grounding one’s authority in several sources of legitimacy. Torsunov’s lattice is composed of different interlocked strips: science, Indian spirituality, personal charisma, and common stereotypes. This structure increases the resilience of controversial public figures in two ways: by making their legitimation strategies flexible and by allowing them to emphasize mainstream values as needed.

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Section: Torsunov and His Vedic Wisdommentioning

confidence: 99%

Legitimating New Religiosity in Contemporary Russia

Sadovina¹

2021

Nova Religio

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The New Age Movement

Løøv

2024

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This Element introduces New Age religion. The New Age Movement is a loosely cohesive conglomerate of different spiritual currents with no common founder, leader, institution, dogma, or scripture. Because of its diversity, it may appear amorphous and incoherent at first sight. This Element emphasizes both the unity and diversity of the New Age. It approaches the phenomenon from three main perspectives: 1) the historical development of New Age religion, 2) ideas and practices associated with the New Age, and 3) the social organization of the New Age movement. It thus provides a wide-angle view that sketches out some of the main patterns that emerge from a mosaic of individual currents and actors associated with the New Age. It also highlights some of the differences within the movement by exploring some ideas and practices in depth.

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The New Age paradox: spiritual consumerism and traditional authority at the Child of Nature festival in Russia

Cited by 2 publications

References 21 publications

Legitimating New Religiosity in Contemporary Russia

Legitimating New Religiosity in Contemporary Russia

The New Age Movement

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