Overview

This volume investigates ""alternative"" spiritualities that increasingly cater for the mainstream within the secularized society of Norway, making Norwegian-based research available to international scholarship. It looks at New Age both in a restricted (sensu stricto) and a wide sense (sensu lato), focusing mainly on the period from the mid-1990s and onwards, with a particular emphasis on developments after the turn of the century. Few, if any, of the ideas and practices discussed in this book are homegrown or uniquely Norwegian, but local soil and climate still matters, as habitats for particular growths and developments. Globalizing currents are here shaped and molded by local religious history and contemporary religio-political systems, along with random incidences, such as the setting up of an angel-business by the princess Martha Louise. The position of Lutheran Protestantism as ""national religion"" particularly impacts on the development and perception of religious competitors.

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9781781794166

Table of Contents

Reviews

This book will be of interest and use to scholars of religion, particularly those specializing in New Age or alternative religions, and also to a general readership curious about what religion is in a contemporary, secularized society. --Susannah Crockford, London School of Economics, Nova Religio

New Age in Norway has two objectives: 1) to make research on New Age spirituality in Norway available to the international research community; and 2) to help develop what the editors call a third wave of New Age studies that takes seriously the theoretical potential of New Age for general studies of religion (p. 5). . . . The book succeeds in both of its aims. . . . New Age in Norway is a commendably well-edited anthology, with a clear red thread, balanced in scope, methods, and theoretical perspectives, and offering a coherent view of the subject matter. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in contemporary religiosity in the Scandinavian countries, and required reading for scholars wishing to follow the research trends on New Age and NRMs globally. --Egil Asprem, Stockholm University, Aries Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 20 (2020) 273-302 This book will be of interest and use to scholars of religion, particularly those specializing in New Age or alternative religions, and also to a general readership curious about what religion is in a contemporary, secularized society. --Susannah Crockford, London School of Economics, Nova Religio

Some of the chapters investigate themes that at first glance seem typically Norwegian, such as the relation to the Lutheran Church, the angel-school of the royal Princess Martha Louise, Sami-Shamanism, etc. This does not, however, imply that these contributions do not offer insights and reflections that could be of interest for a wider international audience. Those who seek will find. Journal of Religion in Europe Where this work really shines is in its individual contributions, which are well-argued, thoughtful, and enlightening about their subject matter. The chapters on conspiracy theories and angels in particular stand out as novel elaborations of topics that are common among New Age circles but as yet have drawn scant attention academically. This book will be of interest and use to scholars of religion, particularly those specializing in New Age or alternative religions, and also to a general readership curious about what religion is in a contemporary, secularized society. Nova Religio

Author Information

Ingvild SAelid Gilhus is Professor of Religion at the University of Bergen, Norway. Siv Ellen Kraft is Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Tromso Norway. James R. Lewis is Professor of Religious Studies at the the University of Tromso Norway.

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