Abstract
The paper outlines changes in the religious landscape in Latvia in the 21st century. It characterises the specifics of secularisation and post-secularisation processes and, accepting conclusions of the British sociologist of religion Brian Wilson, shows that they take place in Latvian society according to a scenario that differs from the scenario in so-called Old Europe. A vital aspect of contemporary religiosity is emphasising the self and shifting from external authority to internal experience, increasing the appeal of esotericism. To illustrate this transition, the paper uses Christopher Partridge’s concept of “occulture,” which helps understand the role of mystical experience in the contemporary religious environment in Latvia. Thus, the Christian Church’s returning “to tradition” increasingly focuses on mystical experience and related practices. This trend aligns it with occulture, emphasising the connection with the “authentic” Christian tradition. The popularity of the spiritual heritage of the mystics of the Spanish Golden Age and the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela among non-Catholic believers and wholly secular people are some facts to consider. Discussions about Russia’s “messianism” in the war in Ukraine also evidence the strengthening of esotericism. The influence of occulture on Latvia’s religious landscape may be temporary, but it may also be a much more severe application of a new model of religiosity. The paper is a part of the research project Theoretical Aspects of Researching the Religious Landscape of Modern Latvia, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility project “Internal and External Consolidation of the University of Latvia” (No.5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/007).
Presenters
Solveiga Krumina KonkovaProfessor, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Modern religious landscape, Modern religiosity, Mystical experience, Esotericism, Occulture
