En 1960, la parution du Matin des magiciens, ouvrage écrit par Louis Pauwels et Jacques Bergier, marque le début d’un phénomène littéraire qu’il est d’usage d’appeler « réalisme fantastique ». D’abord porté par la revue Planète, puis par de nombreux auteurs indépendants comme Robert Charroux, le réalisme fantastique connaît en France, jusqu’à la fin des années 1970, un succès considérable.Cette thèse a pour ambition de définir ce qu’est le réalisme fantastique et de déterminer les raisons de son succès et de sa subite disparition. En reprenant la méthodologie de la sociohistoire proposée par Gérard Noiriel, nous en proposons une approche qui relève à la fois de l’histoire culturelle et religieuse et de la sociologie des religions, des croyances, des sciences et de la littérature.Si on peut comprendre le développement du réalisme fantastique en recourant à la théorie du champ littéraire proposée par Pierre Bourdieu, il est aussi possible de l’envisager comme un exemple de recomposition du religieux, caractéristique des décennies d’après-guerre. Porteur d’une forme particulière d’ésotérisme, que nous qualifions de « grand public », le réalisme fantastique constitue un mode de pensée intermédiaire entre cultic milieu, New Age et occulture.En raison de cette position originale, nous proposons de voir le réalisme fantastique comme un paradigme culturel alternatif au modèle dominant, gouverné par la science. Ce paradigme développe son propre système de connaissances et de valeurs en mêlant ésotérisme, religion et science.Enfin, ce travail s’intéresse à l’influence de la sécularisation sur l’ésotérisme. En établissant un lien avec la contre-culture, nous souhaitons montrer comment le discours ésotérique a pu se développer au sein de la culture française, au point d’en constituer aujourd’hui un élément « ordinaire ». / In 1960, the publication of Matin des magiciens, written by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier, marks the beginning of a literary phenomenon commonly known as “réalisme fantastique”. First fuelled by the review Planète then by numerous independant authors such as Robert Charroux, the réalisme fantastique enjoys great success in France, until the late 70’s.This thesis aims at defining réalisme fantastique and determining the reasons behind its success then sudden disappearance. Using Gérard Noiriel’s socio-historical methodology, we suggest an approach that falls at once within cultural and religious history and the sociology of religions, sciences and literature.If the development of réalisme fantastique may be understood using Pierre Bourdieu’s literary field theory, it can also be construed as a way of reshaping religion, which is a distinctive feature of post-war decades. Presenting a particular form of esotericism called “mainstream esotericism”, the réalisme fantastique constitutes a way of thinking lying between the cultic milieu, New Age and occulture.Because of this unusual status, we propose to see the réalisme fantastique as a cultural paradigm that offers an alternative to the prevailing model, governed by science. This paradigm develops its very own knowledge system and values by blending esotericism, religion and science.Finally, this study focuses on the impact of secularization on esotericism. By establishing a link with counter-culture, we seek to demonstrate how the esoteric rhetoric managed to develop itself within French culture, to the point of becoming nowadays an ‘ordinary’ element.

Yoga is an increasingly visible and versatile commodity in the United States health market. Though its origins stretch to pre-Vedic India and its traditional religious purpose is linked to Hinduism, it is evident that yoga has undergone much change since its transmission to U.S. culture. In its popular, widespread incarnation in the United States, yoga is not usually learned at the feet of a guru, but at exercise centers and gyms. These secular locales of yoga's practice help define the "yoga phenomenon" in contemporary America. This phenomenon has resulted in yoga's wide acceptance and high visibility in American popular culture --- especially within the "cultic milieu" as it is expressed in the "spiritual marketplace" and "therapeutic culture." Yoga's apparent transformation from an explicitly Hindu religious practice to one located in cultural environments that appear non-religious on the surface (such as gyms or therapeutic regimens) is a topic of interest in religious studies. Of even greater interest to religious studies, however, is the argument put forward by some scholars that these non-religious environments are actually profoundly religious in character and suggest that yoga's apparent transformation is a manifestation of a new type of religious experience within the United States. This thesis is interested in the various questions surrounding this apparent transformation. The central question here is what happens to yoga in U.S. culture? More specifically, what is yoga's religious status in the context of contemporary U.S. culture and religion, and what forms does yoga take within various environments t hat are devoid of explicit Hindu connections? To engage these questions, this thesis will analyze yoga's religious status in the context of the theories of secularization and the cultic milieu as put forth by Steve Bruce, as well as the concepts of the spiritual marketplace and therapeutic culture as presented by Wade Clark Roof. Data culled from various sources and independent research will also be used in understanding yoga in contemporary U.S. popular religion and culture.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the worldview, and its underlying concepts are interpreted and explained by the Swedish anti-lockdown movement. Moreover, this study investigates how spirituality and conspiracy theory discourses are constituted as a part of their narrative. Finally, the study seeks to understand what motivates the Swedish anti-lockdown movement and how their interpretation of the world relates to international conspirituality currents.

Conspiracy theories are an old-new phenomenon which has gained its importance and specific character over the last three centuries. Unofficially, they have become an alternative tradition of the interpretation of historical events connected with an alternative form of spirituality, known as conspirituality. This manner of the interpretation usually holds the power when the consensually accepted worldview loses its plausibility for the concrete person or group. Conspiracy theories are the verbalization of a certain way of thinking and action which depends on it. Most often, they are manifested in the form of myths. That is understood as one of the dominant structures, commonly connected with traditionally perceived religion. From this point of view and in terms of the function associated with conspiracy narratives, conspiracy theories are examined as functional and structural equivalents of religion. These functions are especially the defense of the order (nomos), differentiation of the outer reality or the explanation of the presence of Evil in the world. In addition, they can also become a medium or tool of social actors in power relations. This thesis represents the complementary overview of the contemporary approaches in the study of religion discourse, which deals with unconventional religiosity...