Globalization and Asian Religions in the Scuola di Meditazione
Ugo Dessì
Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society December 6, 2022 DOI: 10.30965/23642807-bja10063 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that the Scuola di Meditazione, established in Sardinia in 1983, illustrates religion under globalization as a complex, multilayered phenomenon: its use of 'Eastern' techniques by Roman Catholic religious professionals drew on cultural imports from Asia and on the Church's soft-inclusivist stance toward other religions, and its glocal practices contributed to the globally oriented reshaping of individual religious worlds. |
Abstract
Abstract This article explores the Scuola di Meditazione (School of Meditation) established in Sardinia in 1983, one of the earliest instances in Italy of the use of ‘Eastern’ techniques by Roman Catholic religious professionals to promote the practice of meditation for lay people. Against the backdrop of ongoing religious diversification in the Italian context, this case study provides an insight on religion under globalization as a complex and multilayered phenomenon. In particular, the formation and activities of the Scuola di Meditazione show to be ingrained in the working of the global cultural network, with both direct and indirect cultural imports from Asia through mediatization, missionization, and mobility; to build upon the broader global repositioning of the Roman Catholic Church towards Asian and other ‘world’ religions through the adoption of a soft inclusivist approach; and to provide a meaningful framework for glocal practices resulting in the globally-oriented reshaping of individual religious worlds.