Description
Book SynopsisAled Thomas is a Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, Visiting Fellow at the Open University, UK and co-founder of alt-ac.uk.
Trade ReviewA major work on the lives of Scientologists beyond the Church of Scientology is long overdue. Aled Thomas has produced a timely and insightful book. The work moves scholarship forward from the study of Scientology to the study of Scientologies. * Stephen E. Gregg, University of Wolverhampton, UK *
Aled Thomas gives us an ethnographic look into a fascinating phenomenon on the alternative religious landscape: Scientology as interpreted and practiced among those who left the Church of Scientology or were never members in the first place. This book is highly recommended for scholars of new religions and is a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on Scientology and Scientologists. * Donald A. Westbrook, San Jose State University, USA *
Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introduction: Researching ‘Scientologies’
Part 1: From Scientology to Scientologies 2. The Church of Scientology and the ‘Free Zone’: A Complex Relationship 3. Auditing and the ‘Tech’: The Basics 4. ‘You are YOU
in a body’: Negotiating the Self in Scientology
Part 2: Fluidity and Boundaries 5. Authenticity and Innovation: The ‘True Tech’ and ‘Mistakes by Hubbard’ 6. ‘Doing Scientology’: E-Meters, Objects, and Material Culture 7. Moving Forward: Reflections on Free Zone Scientology and the Wider Study of Religions 8. Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B Notes References Index
