New Age Spirituality in Argentina: Cultural Change and Epistemological Challenge

Abstract

This article analyzes a form of spirituality known as New Age in Argentina and argues that the heterogeneous space of current spiritualties is the cause and effect of a sociocultural transformation that goes beyond the religious field in form and content, challenging both the supposed dominant position of Catholicism and secularism that characterizes Argentinean culture. To this end, and taking into account a historical dimension, our analysis indicates how these spiritualities condense a constellation of languages and experiences of energy, positive philosophy, ecology, vegetarianism, and personal growth, focusing on personal autonomy and immanence. Secondly, the work emphasizes how the phenomenon of massification of this type of practices forces us to rethink both the changes that have occurred in the “religious field” and the epistemological foundations that inspire this kind of analysis, and even the concept of religion itself as associated with explicit belief systems and the church as privileged traits.