Networking Spirituality: Entrepreneurship and Power in the New Age Movement
Unruly, unorthodox, unorganized: the New Age movement has often been presented in a language of negations, and described as a fluctuating field with few organizing forces. This paper looks beyond these stereotypes. Across different social contexts, social interaction takes on networked dynamics, and this paper discusses how the particular case of contemporary spirituality relates to general theoretical assumptions about social networks in general, and networked religion in particular. The paper presents a case study of actors who take part of a common network related to alternative spirituality in Norway. Many people who are involved in alternative spirituality regard themselves as spiritual individualists resistant to religious authority. At the same time, they do draw upon external sources in their 'individual' quests for self-development, spiritual enlightenment and well-being. In the absence of formal authorities they seek guidance from spiritual entrepreneurs and established modes of thinking and acting. Exploring the role of media, mind-body-spirit fairs, events and their gatekeepers, this paper discusses how a few key actors hold considerable power; not only over the organized networks related to New Age spirituality, but also over the ideas, norms, tropes and practices that circulate in the movement.
Published in The 22nd Conference for the European Association for the Study of Religions, 2026
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