The Contemplative Elite and Capitalism
Oxford Scholarship Online November 22, 2018 Jaime Kucinskas
This chapter examines the contemplative mindfulness movement, detailing its success in legitimizing and popularizing mindful meditation while noting its limitations. The authors argue that elite movements can drive widespread cultural change by blending social movement mobilization, institutional entrepreneurship, field theory, and cultural diffusion. They contend that such movements are effective for elites' and professionals' reform initiatives because these actors leverage social networks, institutional resources, and symbolic power in their daily work. However, the authors propose that while these movements spread new cultures effectively, they often fail to achieve deeper structural social reforms.