Customer Reviews

The New Age Movement: The Celebration of the Self and the Sacralization of Modernity

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It is surprising that after after so many years since its publication, this excellent book hasn't had a review at Amazon yet. Paul Heelas is a top scholar on the subject New Age, and has been studying the phenomenon - objectively and rigorously - for over 20 years. In a field dominated by biased anti-New Age and pro-New Age authors, Heelas' summary account on the origins and nature of the movement is certainly a much needed necessity for those who are looking for an impartial introduction to the matter.

Yet, much has happened with the New Age since this book's publication in 1996. The New Age has been transformed, either co-opted into media and business devices, neutralized into "feel good" commodities available at holistic shops and resorts, or, still, it has become part of a new environmental religion, often associated with new artistic and ecological experiments.

For updated accounts on the New Age, Heelas' new book "Spiritualities of Life" should not be missed. Other references include Graham St John's "Rave Culture and Religion" showing how music and spirituality come together in youth subcultures of self-transformation. Another interesting read is Anthony D'Andrea's "Global Nomads", an anthropological study on the globalization of New Age lifestyles, expanding from marginal expatriates subcultures into the mainstream of media and tourism.