Det här är en kvalitativ undersökning på hur en del använder black metal som en väg till religiös livsåskådning. Den är baserad på semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem män som är fans eller musiker inom black metal. Syftet är att studera hur dessa människor använder black metal och dess uttryck som en arena för religiös praktik. Dessa intervjuer är sedan analyserade med hjälp av teorierna re-enchantment och occulture. Studien visar på att black metal är en individuationsprocess där unga fans börjar att bygga upp sin personlighet och lär sig att både bearbeta och hantera känslor. Studien visar även på de negativa aspekterna av subgenren, så som kyrkobränder och mord, som uppkommit inom kultiska miljöer. Med dess resultat visar det att deltagarnas sökande efter en religiös livsåskådning som mötte upp med deras känslor och behov, var influerat av black metal.

This essay researches the prevalence of Gnostic influences in contemporary music lyrics, more exclusively within the context of the extreme metal scene. A resurgence of such topics has also been evident in contemporary music; not surprisingly, as music in general is part of the foundations of culture, and in a wider aspect, of society at large. The essay is performed using a hermeneutic method, interpreting music lyrics and discussing them from a background of cultural and religious theory. The purposes of researching the influences of Gnosticism in this environment are to determine the presence of Gnostic thought in extreme metal lyrics, research the eventual re-interpretations of historical sources of Gnosticism, and to discuss the acknowledged Gnostic influences in the displayed art form in a contemporary cultural perspective, related to cultural aspects such as secularization, modernity and globalization. Sources include music lyrics appropriate to the subject matter at hand as well as previously published interviews. The results of the investigation demonstrate that there are multiple interpretations of Gnostic thought apparent in extreme metal lyrics, varying from slight re-interpretations to more extensive ones, as apparent in what is identified as a chaos-gnostic current. The Gnostic material has in the latter scenario been integrated into an originally satanic worldview and as a result has become a major part of the chaos-gnostic belief system. The chaos-gnostic current has appeared in a highly secular surrounding, and the results of the essay propose that a secular surrounding can breed elements of trangression within individuals, leading to the resurgence of oppositional counter-cultural characteristics and an awakening of alternative spirituality with oppositional overtones.

I denna uppsats analyseras det vegetariska subjektet med fokus på subjektiva upplevelser och genom detta belyses attraktioner och förändringar inom vegetarianismen mellan 1895–1931 i medlemstidskrifterna för Deutscher Vegetarier-Bund. Teoretiskt är uppsatsen grundad i subjektiviseringstesen med fokus på upplevelser, genus och känslor. Resultaten visar att ett skifte skedde från en rationell objektiv upplevelse till en subjektiv och känslostyrd upplevelse. Genomgående konstruerades den vegetariska livsstilen som en elitupplevelse och kontrasterades mot andra livsstilar. Det vegetariska subjektet var även könat och konstruerat med eller mot maskulina förväntningar. Genom analysen av genus och upplevelser har forskningen om tysk vegetarianism utökats. Vegetarianism kan genom analysen förstås som ett sätt att återförtrolla världen genom mystik och förundran.

A ciência teve um papel central naquilo que Max Weber chamou de desencantamento do mundo. O mundo da ciência é um mecanismo causal, um mundo de causas e efeitos inteligíveis, que funciona conforme leis racionais. Este é um mundo onde magia e religiões são banidas para o horizonte do irracional, e onde apenas o que é calculável e aplicável é racional. Ciência e técnica não podem conferir sentido a um mundo concebido dessa forma. No entanto, nos dias de hoje, nos deparamos com discursos que afirmam justamente o contrário, e o mais instigante neles é o fato de compreenderem a ciência e a tecnologia como os elementos principais que possibilitam um reencantamento do mundo. Visamos com este projeto apresentar uma sistematização das teorizações cujo foco é o reencantamento do mundo pela via científica e tecnológica mas não nos limitaremos a tal apresentação sistemática. Temos como objetivo mais amplo e central uma análise crítica de tais teorizações, que evidencie não apenas seus temas, enfoques e argumentos, mas também suas deficiências e impasses no que se refere ao diagnóstico que fazem do papel da ciência e da tecnologia no mundo contemporâneo / Science has played a central role in what Max Weber called the disenchantment of the world. The world of science is a causal mechanism, a world of intelligible causes and effects which works according to rational laws. This is a world where magic and religions are banished to the horizon of the irrational, and where only what is calculable and usefull is rational. Science and technology cannot give meaning to a world conceived that way. However, nowdays, we face discourses that claim precisely the opposite, and the most exciting is the fact that they claim the science and technology as the key elements that enable to re-enchantment of the world. We aim with this project present a systematization of theories whose focus is the re-enchantment of the world through scientific and technological means but we will not limit ourselves to a systematic presentation. We have as a broader and central objective a critical analysis of such theories, evidencing not only their themes, approaches and arguments, but also its shortcomings and dilemmas regarding the diagnosis of the role of science and technology in the contemporary world

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T19:20:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leonardo Vasconcelos de Castro Moreira.pdf: 836863 bytes, checksum: aec2d442840bcd09481bbe99fcab9ac7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens have started the new atheism movement. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, these authors aligned their speeches, which were already anti-religious, even more vehemently. Using the concept of Max Weber's disenchantment of the world, I tried to understand how they use science and other arguments against religion. Without forgetting the political struggle, I observe how the deconstruction of the religious sense has a goal of conversion. With theempty of the religious morality of theirs followers, I examine how these four authors construct a new worldview, at an individual and collective level, that would be the (re)enchantment of the world proposed by them. The replacement of religious values by the values of science and new-atheist values, places the new atheism not only on a collision course towards religions, but also causes this new movement to cross to the side of the religious field and become a new symbolic proposal with their own values / Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris e Christopher Hitchens deram início ao que hoje é chamado de neoateísmo. Após os atentados terroristas de 11 de Setembro de 2001, esses autores alinharam seus discursos, que já eram antirreligiosos, de forma ainda mais veemente. Utilizando o conceito de Max Weber de desencantamento do mundo, procuro entender como eles utilizam-se da ciência e de outros argumentos para combater a religião. Sem esquecer a luta política, procuro observar como a desconstrução do sentido religioso tem um objetivo de conversão. Existindo um esvaziamento da moral religiosa dos seguidores do neoateísmo, procuro também analisar como esses quatro autores constroem uma nova cosmovisão, tanto no âmbito individual como coletivo, que seria o (re)encantamento do mundo proposto por eles. A substituição dos valores religiosos pelos valores ditos da ciência e também pelos valores neoateus acaba colocando o neoateísmo não só em rota de colisão perante as religiões, mas também faz com que o mesmo atravesse para o lado do campo religioso e torne-se uma nova proposta simbólica, com seus próprios valores e compensadores

A ciência teve um papel central naquilo que Max Weber chamou de desencantamento do mundo. O mundo da ciência é um mecanismo causal, um mundo de causas e efeitos inteligíveis, que funciona conforme leis racionais. Este é um mundo onde magia e religiões são banidas para o horizonte do irracional, e onde apenas o que é calculável e aplicável é racional. Ciência e técnica não podem conferir sentido a um mundo concebido dessa forma. No entanto, nos dias de hoje, nos deparamos com discursos que afirmam justamente o contrário, e o mais instigante neles é o fato de compreenderem a ciência e a tecnologia como os elementos principais que possibilitam um reencantamento do mundo. Visamos com este projeto apresentar uma sistematização das teorizações cujo foco é o reencantamento do mundo pela via científica e tecnológica mas não nos limitaremos a tal apresentação sistemática. Temos como objetivo mais amplo e central uma análise crítica de tais teorizações, que evidencie não apenas seus temas, enfoques e argumentos, mas também suas deficiências e impasses no que se refere ao diagnóstico que fazem do papel da ciência e da tecnologia no mundo contemporâneo / Science has played a central role in what Max Weber called the disenchantment of the world. The world of science is a causal mechanism, a world of intelligible causes and effects which works according to rational laws. This is a world where magic and religions are banished to the horizon of the irrational, and where only what is calculable and usefull is rational. Science and technology cannot give meaning to a world conceived that way. However, nowdays, we face discourses that claim precisely the opposite, and the most exciting is the fact that they claim the science and technology as the key elements that enable to re-enchantment of the world. We aim with this project present a systematization of theories whose focus is the re-enchantment of the world through scientific and technological means but we will not limit ourselves to a systematic presentation. We have as a broader and central objective a critical analysis of such theories, evidencing not only their themes, approaches and arguments, but also its shortcomings and dilemmas regarding the diagnosis of the role of science and technology in the contemporary world

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:21:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LEONIDAS DISSERTACAO FINAL out 2010.pdf: 2391300 bytes, checksum: ad8e2c68e160ba7ddaacdd959035c6d7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-09-01 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research proposes to examine the ecological and pastoral liturgy praxis in the Methodist Church. Praxis is the reflexive activity and the material of the human being. It is a transforming action from an ecological and pastoral in the public dimension of faith. It consists in the study of relationship that should exist between Liturgy and Ecology, and how the praxis can influence and articulate the development of an eco-liturgy, taking as reference the area of Methodist Church. The research is developed in three stages: At first, the theoretical concepts of liturgy, its history, changes and experiences of the human being in the celebrations linked to the elements of nature; second, the concepts of ecology, its crisis and its interrelations to the whole; third, the notes for a pastoral eco-liturgical praxis in the Methodist Church as a reference to create actions that raise awarenes, mobilize for the re-enchantment of spirituality, meaning of life and ecology, to produce hope in the face of social causes that relate to the whole life of human beings. The result will be a set of historical and theoretical references able to deconstruct, construct and reconstruct, in order to sustain a pastoral eco-liturgical praxis. Aiming to achieve a new hermeneutics of the subject, in that gives hope, and a new paradigm of God s reality questions in creation, in the society and the liturgical praxis of the church, in view of the public dimension of faith. The necessity that the human being has to be re-enchanted, recognized, learn to take care, to rebuild all that guarantees the possibility of life and sustainability on the planet. / Esta pesquisa propõe-se a analisar a práxis pastoral litúrgica ecológica na Igreja Metodista. A práxis é a atividade reflexiva e material do ser humano, é ação transformadora, para uma pastoral ecoliturgica na dimensão pública da fé. A pesquisa consiste em estudar a interrelação que deve existir entre Liturgia e Ecologia, a partir dos conceitos bilbicos e a forma como a práxis pode influir e se articular para o desenvolvimento de uma ecoliturgia na realidade atual, tendo como espaço de referência a Igreja Metodista. A pesquisa se desenvolve em três etapas: Na primeira analisa conceitos teóricos de liturgia, sua história, mudanças e experiências do ser humano nas celebrações ligadas aos elementos da natureza; Na segunda, os conceitos de ecologia, sua crise e suas inter-relações com o Todo. Na terceira, os apontamentos para uma práxis pastoral ecolitúrgica na Igreja Metodista, como referencial para criar ações que conscientizem, mobilizem, para o reencantamento da espiritualidade, do sentido da vida e da ecologia, a fim de produzir esperança, diante das causas sociais que dizem respeito à vida integral do ser humano. O resultado será um conjunto de referenciais históricos e teóricos capazes de desconstruir, construir e reconstruir, a fim de sustentar uma práxis pastoral ecolitúrgica. Com o objetivo de realizar uma nova hermenêutica do tema num novo paradigma para as questões da realidade, tendo em vista a dimensão publica da fé na relação de Deus na criação e a práxis da igreja na sociedade. Na necessidade que o ser humano tem de se reencantar, reconhecer, saber cuidar, reconstruir tudo que nos garante a possibilidade da vida e a sustentabilidade no planeta.

This study aims to investigate how individuals that have been playing pen and paper role-playing games since the 1990s to 2016 view their own experiences and the development of role-playing games. Six informants were interviewed in-depth about their experiences and how they view the change of roleplaying games and how society sees it. All the informants had been playing roleplaying games since the 1990s and are still playing. In the thematic analysis, five themes were identified: negative experiences, relationships, fantasy, development and normative change. This study exemplifies the complexity of belonging to a stigmatized group and also how a cultural phenomenon can grow, change and become accepted. It also highlights the role the informants themselves played in that change. Interestingly, it was found that the informants kept playing, despite the stigma around their hobby, because they found role-playing to be meaningful and stimulating and not for the reason that they identified themselves as role-players. Furthermore, all informants mention that thanks to role-playing they have developed a skill-set (e.g. creativity, problem-solving, understanding of group dynamics), which has become valuable to them later in life. The informants always believed that role-playing was something positive and meaningful, which also was confirmed once enough research had been done.

This dissertation explores entanglements of body, national identity and nature in contemporary Mongolia. The project is situated within the rising popularity of natural remedies and alternative medicine during a time described as disorganized (zambaraagui) and disorderly. Data was collected from 33 months of fieldwork in Ulaanbaatar and elsewhere, focused on non-biomedical practices and therapeutic landscapes, especially medicinal springs (arshaan) and their sanatoria. This work contributes to studies of post-socialist Mongolia in a few ways. The methodological decision to engage in interview and participant observation of fortunetellers (üzmerch), practitioners of Buddhist and traditional medicine (otoch, ardiin emch), astrologists (zurhaich), energy healers (bio energich), shamans (böö, zairan, udgan), enlightened lamas (huvilgaan) and massage therapists (bariach) was driven by the fluid approach with which patients approach fulfilling the needs of their health and wellbeing. Such fluidity was also echoed in healing practice; as opposed to bounded by strict conceptual distinctions, healers re-purposed personally and culturally-familiar techniques, ranging from biomedical to those of Buddhist medicine (sowa rigpa) to occult practices. Many of the same techniques were practiced by a range of practitioners. The term orthopraxy, commonality of practice across conceptual difference, is used to address this phenomena. Such pairing together of different kinds of therapies – biomedical or otherwise – calls into question a “traditional” vs. modern or neo-spiritual framework within which such practices are often cast. I employ Robbin’s anthropology of discontinuity (2003), suggesting that Soviet influences represented “hard” cultural forms that provided a partial rupture in cultural knowledge between pre-revolutionary society and 1990. Nature (baigal) and natural surroundings (baigal orchin) were concepts often raised when discussing health and wellbeing. “Spiritual” earth and mountain masters (gazariin/uuliin ezed) of estranged homelands (nutag) that cause illness in families relocated to Ulaanbaatar; the water, flora, and mutton from one’s homeland as especially medicinally-suited to the body; shamans empowered to heal by appropriating into their practices the worship of nationally-significant mountains: territorialized national identity represented a prominent trend in healing practices. The revering of a nation through natural landmarks I call national nature, and suggest it be seen both with respect to romantic and utilitarian conceptions of a therapeutic nature that underpinned Soviet medicine, and Soviet indigenization campaigns and the ethnonationalism that was encouraged to flourish in borderland republics. Affective rooting to natural landmarks to maintain or restore wellbeing was also a way to enact Mongol-ness, rendering healing the body at once a practice of national subject-making.

This thesis investigates narratives of re-enchantment and disenchantment in three contemporary U.S. novels, Lydia Millet’s Mermaids in Paradise, Karen Tei Yamashita’s Tropic of Orange, and Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice. Drawing on key concepts from ecocritcism and affect theory, I argue that these novels interrogate narratives and affects associated with questions central to the Anthropocene: climate-related dilemmas, questions of environmental justice, and animal ethics. Situating these texts in relation to environmental discourses, I show how affects of wonder and re-enchantment are produced within them through the insertion of anti-mimetic narrative objects into otherwise representationally realistic fictional worlds. These incursions, and the affective shifts they produce, challenge and interrupt in the novels narratives of ecological dread and disenchantment, which I link to the techniques and affects of noir. In each chapter of this study, I show how the dialogical interplay between disenchantment and re-enchantment disrupts preconceptions and assumptions about aspects of ecological crisis, and engenders or reinforces political commitments to environmentally related issues. Chapter One focuses on interspecies politics and animal rights in Mermaids in Paradise, environmental justice is central to the analysis of Tropic of Orange in Chapter Two, and the political dynamics of countercultural environmentalism inform my reading of Inherent Vice in Chapter Three. Throughout, I explore the potential of re-enchantment to suggest an alternative to disenchanted and apocalyptic narratives concerning the environment, and to articulate a productive politics for contemporary ecofiction.