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‘We Are All One, We Are All Gods’: Negotiating Spirituality in the Conscious Partying Movement

Beck, Giles, Lynch, Gordon (2009) ‘We Are All One, We Are All Gods’: Negotiating Spirituality in the Conscious Partying Movement. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 24 (3). pp. 339-355. ISSN 1353-7903. E-ISSN 1469-9419. (doi:10.1080/13537900903080444) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:42393)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13537900903080444

Abstract

Research literature has been growing over the past five years which explores the religious significance of electronic dance music cultures. This article adds to this work by offering an analysis of spiritual discourses used within a particular underground dance scene in the UK, the ‘conscious partying’ movement. An ethnographic account is given of a typical dance night within this scene, which demonstrates how these spiritual discourses are embedded within a range of musical, artistic, therapeutic, and political networks and practices. The use and salience of spiritual discourses of oneness, energy, and immediatism within this scene are then analysed. It is argued that the conscious partying scene in the UK reflects spiritual ideas and practices within the wider global psy-trance music scene and that this study demonstrates the importance of ethnographic research for examining the complex ways in which such broader spiritual discourses may be negotiated within specific groups. The article concludes by identifying possible future research that explores in more depth the relationships between spiritual discourses, the aural properties of electronic dance music, and embodied practices of dance.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/13537900903080444
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Neshen Isaeva
Date Deposited: 18 Aug 2014 10:25 UTC
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 10:26 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/42393 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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