Multiple habitus : Italian Buddhism, neoliberalism, and embodiment
Matteo di Placido, Giuseppe Giordan
Body & Society September 7, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/1357034x261484433 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Italian Buddhist practitioners and communities |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key findings | Argues that Italian Buddhism articulates multiple habitus, with core dispositions showing congruence across traditions while reflecting localized and neoliberal influences, cultivated through collective meditation and everyday practices. |
Abstract
This article introduces the idea of multiple habitus , a heuristic tool for analyzing the transmission, incorporation and social reproduction of religious teachings within a continuously transforming spiritual field. Drawing on data from the project ‘Buddhism in Italy’ we show how Italian Buddhism articulates a plurality of “core dispositions” that display notable congruence across major Buddhist traditions while simultaneously reflecting the localized ethos of specific pedagogical environments and of the broader neoliberal order. Through qualitative interviews, participant observation and survey data, we demonstrate that these dispositions are cultivated in collective meditation rituals and everyday practices, where interpretations of the body and its legitimate role intersect with broader neoliberal logics. By situating Italian Buddhism within the wider processes of religious pluralism, spiritual experimentation and the therapeuticization of the sacred, the concept of multiple habitus illuminates how practitioners creatively adopt and adapt religious resources in ways that resonate with the contemporary Western zeitgeist .
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Engaged Buddhism in Italy: Space, Practice, and Social Transformation Religions December 12, 2025
- From spirituality to spiritualities Anthropologica September 28, 2023
- Sensing the Sacred: Religious Experience, Somatic Inversions, and the Religious Education of Attention Sociology of religion April 2, 2021