Worldview complexity: The challenge of intersecting diversities for conceptualising diversity

Abstract

Social science analysis of diversity, and religious diversity in particular, has long struggled to move beyond simple binaries of religious-secular, religious-spiritual, traditional-modern, global north-global south, and so on. Twenty-first century realities test existing terms and find them wanting. While concepts such as the postsecular, multiple modernities, multiple secularities, and non-religion point to new lines of analysis, each still refers to binary and thereby limiting terms. This article reviews research on religious diversity, delineating some of the major challenges posed. Building on useful frameworks of superdiversity, multiple pluralities, and religious complexity, we argue that the more widely encompassing concept of worldview complexity might represent a better way forward. It has the advantage of acknowledging the intersecting diversity of diversities in multiple, differing contexts, and abiding similarities in what is occurring ‘beneath religion’.

Spiritual complexity in Australia: Wellbeing and risks

“…Building upon Ghassan Hage's (1998) insights, we also argue that Australia remains largely stuck in the myth of a White, Christian nation, rather than recognising its triangulated spiritual, religious, and non-religious -as well as it First Nations, Asian, and European -worldview complexity and reality (Bouma et al, 2022;Halafoff et al, 2021Halafoff et al, , 2022aWeng et al, 2021). This is despite the ongoing presence and significance of First Nations spirituality and the fact that growing numbers of older and younger Australians identify as SBNR or as 'religious and spiritual', including those of multiple religious affiliations (Singleton et al, 2021).…”

“…These studies query assertions that spirituality is purely individualised or that religion is simply 'giving way to spirituality' (Heelas and Woodhead, 2005). Contemporary sociological studies of religion are stressing the lived and embodied (McGuire, 2008), religious complexity (Furseth, 2018), and/or worldview complexity (Bouma et al, 2022) of societies, with spirituality being part of this landscape, alongside religion and non-religion. Interest in spirituality is booming globally, as are some forms of religion, while others are declining, and this complexity is perhaps best explained by examining diverse worldview's relationship to neoliberalism, the world's most-prevalent ideology (Gauthier, 2020).…”

“…There has also been a growing interest in First Nations culture and spirituality in Australia, for example, through learning about traditions and/or visiting sacred places, alongside a commitment to addressing racial injustice in recent years (Halafoff et al, 2021;Weng and Halafoff, 2020). Discussion of contemporary and holistic spirituality often appeared alongside religious and/or secular/non-religious factors and groups, indicating a lived, triangulated religious, spiritual, and non-religious worldview complexity (Bouma et al, 2022) in Australia, which was also observed in the AGZ study (Singleton et al, 2021).…”