Lié aux diverses formes de spiritualité contemporaine, le néo-chamanisme offre à ceux qui y adhèrent un parcours de spécialisation basé sur des techniques d’apprentissage thérapeutique pratiquées dans le cadre de séminaires animés par un néo-chaman. Cette thèse porte sur le néo-chamanisme en tant que phénomène culturel à visée thérapeutique lié aux diverses formes de spiritualité contemporaine. La partie ethnographique, fondée sur un double terrain, en France et en Italie, a permis d’identifier dans les deux pays un fonctionnement similaire organisé autour de cinq éléments qui caractérisent cette pratique. La fascination envers un ailleurs exotique, les références à des cosmologies indigènes, la quête du bien- être et de la guérison individuelle, la sacralisation de la nature, une relation directe avec le néo-chaman, et un mécanisme de dédoublement réflexif des participants, tels sont les principes constitutifs de cette pratique. La thèse s’appuie sur trois axes: les modalités de diffusion des pratiques, la construction de la crédibilité des néo-chamans, et l’efficacité thérapeutique mise en œuvre dans le cadre des séminaires. Le premier axe montre comment les pratiques se diffusent à travers des réseaux créés autour de librairies, de festivals et de formes de tourisme spirituel. Dans ce contexte, la crédibilité que les spécialistes parviennent à obtenir auprès de leur public s’établit grâce à une mise en récit autobiographique de leur position au sein de ces réseaux, notamment de leur rapport immédiat avec des figures fondatrices. Enfin, les relations rituelles que les participants établissent avec les différentes entités du panthéon néo- chamanique médiatisent la rencontre avec soi-même et la création d’un lien avec une nature extérieure et en même temps avec une nature intime, envisagée comme résidant à l’intérieur de chacun. / This thesis investigates neo-shamanism, a cultural phenomenon with therapeutic purposes tied to different forms of contemporary spirituality. In addition to healing, the Neo-shamanistic practices being studied also offer adherents a specialized apprenticeship in the techniques as implemented during the seminars led by the neo-shaman. The ethnography, conducted in both France and Italy, finds similarities among the two countries which can be organized around five different elements that characterize such practice; a fascination with an ‘exotic elsewhere’, reference to indigenous cosmologies, a quest for well-being and individual healing, the sacralization of nature, a direct relationship with the neo-shaman and a twofold reflexivity of participants. The thesis highlights three elements; the spreading of the practices, the credibility of the neo-shaman and the therapeutic efficacy achieved during the seminars. The first element shows how practices spread via bookstores, festivals and forms of spiritual tourism. The analysis then demonstrates how the specialists earn credibility from their audiences. The third element of the thesis deals with the ritual relationships that the participants establish with the entities populating the neo-shamanic pantheon. These relationships with different entities mediate a therapeutic encounter with oneself while also constructing a bond with the outer and intimate nature thought to reside within all humanity.

Le Temple Guaracy de Paris fait partie d’une maison d’umbanda internationale présente au Brésil et dans plusieurs pays d’Europe et d’Amérique. Tout en s’inspirant de l’umbanda, une religion afro-brésilienne centrée sur le culte d’entités spirituelles et de divinités associées à la nature ainsi que sur la médiumnité, le Temple s’inscrit dans l’univers plus large des spiritualités contemporaines et propose à ses adeptes, en France comme ailleurs, un parcours dit de « développement spirituel ». Cette thèse porte sur les mécanismes de construction identitaire à l’œuvre dans ces pratiques et qui permettent aux adeptes du Temple de se définir comme étant « spirituels ». La description détaillée et l’analyse formelle des activités rituelles du groupe visent à circonscrire les soubassements pragmatiques qui soutiennent la construction de la figure de l’adepte et du médium dans ce contexte. Elles montrent ainsi que la pratique généralisée de la médiumnité consiste dans ce cas à révéler les participants à eux-mêmes sous un autre regard, qui est celui d’entités spirituelles dotées de la capacité de déceler la « véritable nature » des êtres humains. La production, par ce biais, d’un soi spirituel passe par des glissements relationnels subtils entre participants, opérés au sein d’un dispositif rituel finement régulé qui fait émerger des individus ambigus et « extraordinaires », humains et entités à la fois. Il s’avère que le sens de soi ainsi produit habilite les participants à apprécier et à créer d’autres pratiques similaires qui, toutes, s’inscrivent dans l’univers des spiritualités contemporaines et du New Age. / The Temple Guaracy de Paris is part of an international Umbanda shrine house located in Brazil and also established in several European and North American countries. In order to offer participants a “spiritual development”, in France and its other locales, the Temple draws on the mediumistic practice of Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion focused on the worship of spiritual entities and divinities related to nature, in the elaboration of its ceremonial activities. The Temple is thus part of the wider universe of contemporary spiritual practices. This thesis studies the ritual mechanisms that bestow participants a special identity which allows them to define themselves as “being spiritual”. The detailed description and the formal analysis of the group’s ritual practices aim to define the pragmatic foundations of the identity processes at work in this context. They show that mediumistic practice consists of revealing the participants to themselves and to others in a new perspective which is that of the spiritual entities invoked in ritual, endowed with the capability to unveil the “real nature” of human beings. The making of a spiritual self by this means depends on complex relational shifts generated by a subtly regulated ritual device which produces ambiguous and “extraordinary” persons who are both humans and entities. The spiritual sense of self produced in this way enables participants to engage in and to create analogous practices that make up the universe of contemporary spirituality.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-07-18T12:04:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Victor Nogueira Landmann.pdf: 823723 bytes, checksum: a0f26ded62f58eb723c7c0fc8caef7a5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-18T12:04:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Victor Nogueira Landmann.pdf: 823723 bytes, checksum: a0f26ded62f58eb723c7c0fc8caef7a5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Fundação São Paulo - FUNDASP / The present dissertation presents the book “A Course in Miracles”, first published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, in the United States. An academic study on this book is justified considering its worldwide impact, two and a half million copies of this book having been sold to the present date. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that “A Course in Miracles” could be regarded as a gnostic work, when considered the fundamental similarities between the religious movement of the beginning of the Christian era and this book. Aiming at demonstrating the common points between both, Hans Jonas and Kurt Rudolph are resorted to, as theoretical reference regarding gnosticism, and Kenneth Wapnick, as reference to the analysis of “A Course in Miracles” / A presente dissertação apresenta a obra “Um Curso em Milagres”, publicada pela primeira vez em 1976 pela Foundation for Inner Peace (Fundação para a Paz Interior) nos Estados Unidos. Justifica-se um estudo sobre essa obra visto seu impacto global, tendo sido vendidos mais de 2 milhões e meio de cópias, com traduções para mais de doze línguas. A hipótese com a qual se trabalha é a de que “Um Curso em Milagres” poderia classificar-se como um livro gnóstico, considerando-se semelhanças fundamentais entre o movimento do início da Era Cristã e esta obra. Com o intuito de se demonstrar os pontos em comum entre ambos, são utilizados os autores Kurt Rudolph e Hans Jonas, como referencial teórico para o gnosticismo, e Kenneth Wapnick, como referencial para a análise da obra “Um Curso em Milagres”

This thesis explores the significance of contemporary Christian spirituality for authentic Christian ministry. To this end an extensive survey of contemporary academic literature is conducted. The research bears in mind the almost unprecedented contemporary interest in `spirituality,' both for academics and laypersons alike, and presupposes the need to redefine and understand spirituality for our times. The study yields the finding that contemporary academic spirituality contributes a newfound authenticity to Christian ministry. Spirituality achieves such authenticity for ministry through highlighting and realising a number of outstanding features. These features include: a new global awareness, and an appreciation of spiritual diversity; a `this-worldly' embodiment or `materialism' as integral to spirituality; a rediscovery of the experiential dimension of ministry; a re-awakening of the contemplative spirit as permeative of every dimension of life and activity, and a new inter-disciplinary appreciation of the metaphors, means and stages for spiritual formation and maturation. The hermeneutically sound and convincing contribution of spirituality is ascribed to its growing academic credibility, its utilisation of its own historical tradition and documented experience, and its discriminative deployment of postmodernism's amenability to Christian spirituality. Finally, the thesis is not concerned with distilling practical ministerial activities from spirituality. It strives, rather, for an understanding of ministry at the ontological level, where self-understanding, vocational awareness and a desire for God realise the essence and dynamic of ministry. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / Thesis (D.Th.)

This thesis explores the significance of contemporary Christian spirituality for authentic Christian ministry. To this end an extensive survey of contemporary academic literature is conducted. The research bears in mind the almost unprecedented contemporary interest in `spirituality,' both for academics and laypersons alike, and presupposes the need to redefine and understand spirituality for our times. The study yields the finding that contemporary academic spirituality contributes a newfound authenticity to Christian ministry. Spirituality achieves such authenticity for ministry through highlighting and realising a number of outstanding features. These features include: a new global awareness, and an appreciation of spiritual diversity; a `this-worldly' embodiment or `materialism' as integral to spirituality; a rediscovery of the experiential dimension of ministry; a re-awakening of the contemplative spirit as permeative of every dimension of life and activity, and a new inter-disciplinary appreciation of the metaphors, means and stages for spiritual formation and maturation. The hermeneutically sound and convincing contribution of spirituality is ascribed to its growing academic credibility, its utilisation of its own historical tradition and documented experience, and its discriminative deployment of postmodernism's amenability to Christian spirituality. Finally, the thesis is not concerned with distilling practical ministerial activities from spirituality. It strives, rather, for an understanding of ministry at the ontological level, where self-understanding, vocational awareness and a desire for God realise the essence and dynamic of ministry. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / Thesis (D.Th.)

This work considers the theoretical, epistemological and methodological criteria for a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to the study of spiritual experience founded within a qualitative paradigm. Spirituality is noted to be of increasing significance in society and as a developing discipline within the academy and spiritual experience is offered as an opening to greater understanding and appreciation of an individual's understandings of their spirituality. The methodology provides an interpretative approach towards an opportunity for resonance, identification and empathy between individual and reader through richly descriptive narratives offering insights into such experiences and developing themes and threads of particular interest prior to seeking universal and semi universal traits between or amongst narratives. Practical methods for applying the methodology are considered, including ethical and researcher reflexive issues. The assessment of the methodology includes its application to a case study, located within contemporary Christianity in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, which due to limitations of space focuses particularly on the notion of the Gift and assists in the determination of the efficacy and validity of hermeneutic phenomenology in the study of spiritual experience.