{"product_id":"white-utopias-the-religious-exoticism-of-transformational-festivals-9780520376953","title":"White Utopias The Religious Exoticism of","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTransformational festivals, from Burning Man to Lightning in a Bottle, Bhakti Fest, and Wanderlust, are massive events that attract thousands of participants to sites around the world. In this groundbreaking book, Amanda J. Lucia shows how these festivals operate as religious institutions for spiritual, but not religious (SBNR) communities. Whereas previous research into SBNR practices and New Age religion has not addressed the predominantly white makeup of these communities, White Utopias examines the complicated, often contradictory relationships with race at these events, presenting an engrossing ethnography of SBNR practices. Lucia contends that participants create temporary utopias through their shared commitments to spiritual growth and human connection. But they also participate in religious exoticism by adopting Indigenous and Indic spiritualities, a practice that ultimately renders them exclusive, white utopias. Focusing on yoga's role in disseminating SBNR values, Lucia offers new ways of comprehending transformational festivals as significant cultural phenomena.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Lucia’s sharp analysis and enthusiasm for historical and theoretical context dominates the book.\" * High Country News *\u003cbr\u003e\"Being highly engaging and informative, this book is a valuable read for all scholars interested in contemporary questions of religion and spirituality.\" * Religious Studies Review *\u003cbr\u003e\"Lucia’s work brings an important and timely perspective on the racialised power dynamics of [‘spiritual but not religious’] communities to the study of contemporary yoga.\" * Religion *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Illustrations\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Author Note\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1. Romanticizing the Premodern: The Confluence of Indic and Indigenous Spiritualities\u003cbr\u003e Interlude: Cultural Possession and Whiteness\u003cbr\u003e 2. Anxieties over Authenticity: American Yoga and the Problem of Whiteness\u003cbr\u003e Interlude: “White People Are on the Journey of Evolution”\u003cbr\u003e 3. Deconstructing the Self: At the Limits of Asceticism\u003cbr\u003e Interlude: Sculpting Bodies and Minds \u003cbr\u003e 4. Wonder, Awe, and Peak Experiences: Approaching Mystical Territories\u003cbr\u003e Interlude: Producing Wonder \/ Branding Freedom\u003cbr\u003e 5. The Cathartic Freedom of Transformational Festivals: Neoliberal Escapes and Entrapments\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Appendix 1: @Instagram Data for Public Figures Cited\u003cbr\u003e Appendix 2: Methodology\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e References\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"University of California Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49402946093399,"sku":"9780520376953","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780520376953.jpg?v=1730481929","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/white-utopias-the-religious-exoticism-of-transformational-festivals-9780520376953","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}