Review: White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals, by Amanda J. Lucia

The early 2020s have already fostered reckonings with the institutionalized legacies of colonialist practices. Conference presenters dutifully acknowledge land ownership to indigenous peoples. Social media users circulate abolitionist readings and lectures. Organizational personnel investigate diversity equity complaints. In these ways, progressives started grappling entrenched white supremacy, misogyny, class warfare. Will changes deepen, given conservative backlash growing socioeconomic inequalities?White Utopias presciently anticipates this tumultuous moment its study gatherings “spiritual, but not religious” yoga enthusiasts. As Amanda Lucia explains, privileged persons gather at retreats as a respite from overwork consuming careers ennui anomic communities. Bonding over spiritual practices values drawn Indic cultures, they find personal meaning through perfecting their bodies. Through blissed-out communion in spatially racially segregated settings, enthusiasts reproduce earlier, acts domination, extraction, racial valuation.Using participant observation interviews participants, explores exclusionary spaces created dominated by whites. Starting 2011, she conducted 129 days field research festivals events remote destinations, New Zealand India Nevada Black Rock Desert. These included five Bhakti Fests, Shakti six Wanderlusts, three Lightning Bottles, four Burning Mans, well fifty-two “ethnocultural” festivals, including Kumbh Mela India. focuses on yogic activities such sites, arguing that endeavors hamper more expansive possibilities, collective social change. religious studies professor immerses readers hosted gurus who cater affluent, draw wider socio-economic cross-section. observing natural environs, reveals participants’ experiences, both emotional physical. latter include bodily horrors (such Lucia’s allergic reaction alkaline desert disfiguring sty acquired during travel) mar idylls moneyed, ascetic devotion. also captures affective wonder effervescence, anguished confessionals wounding exclusion, one experienced friend his wife attempting enjoy performance Man.In portraying how people can wield spirituality divisive rather than unifying forces, contributes deeper understanding what is lost when groups invest transformational energies into all access. By depicting cost centuries colonialism reproduced contemporary times, criticisms bridge territories for practitioners scholars consider inclusionary communities could emerge.This book’s critical perspective whiteness, spirituality, should appeal variety readers, advanced undergraduates graduate students, general readers. Its approach “studying up” jet-setting community-seekers adds existing elites milieus sociologists Brooke Harrington (2020), Rachel Sherman (2019), Shamus Khan (2012). Qualitative researchers will appreciate text’s excerpts notes quotes interlocuters, evidence sweat seasoned ethnographer. That said, curious sense ahistoricity does crop up times. For instance, book characterizes organizers’ efforts distinguish Man conventional “recent”—these concerns actually surfaced 1990s, documented my own (2009). Tensions whose interests are being supported roots conveyed descriptions, nostalgia only obscures fact.Such details aside, points possible futures which transcendence involve erasing nonwhite cultures or glossing power imbalances. Her cautionary analyses highlight requires reimagining institutions ways promote authentic liberation everyday connection. Recent underscored need dramatically different organizational approaches. pandemic’s throttling mass in-person gatherings—as tragic consequences premature celebrations evident second wave deaths illness engulfing 2021—underscore interconnected societies individuals are. Clearly, meditative transgressive offer limited interventions resolving world issues climate change inequality.Realizations self-care prolong inequalities permeate awareness, particularly inadequate pandemic responses governments ensure continued unequal status quos. Individual group actions recognize, deny, interdependence, all. To end, organization made financially challenging, socially responsible, decision cancel 2021 face-to-face gathering 80,000 campers. some, times might elicit rethinking engage societal these.