ABSTRACT
While spirituality has not received as much attention as religious or non-religious belief among scholars of religion, significant numbers of both religious and non-religious people identify as spiritual. Recent research on the diverse worldviews of young Australians, and on the uptake of conspiracy theories in holistic spiritual communities in Australia, demonstrates holistic spirituality’s pervading and enduring presence in Australian culture. It has also revealed a new kind of sciencey-spirituality, where holistic spiritual influencers and movements increasingly co-opt science, validating the benefits of their products and practices. At the same time, they also critique mainstream science and medicine perceived as a threat to nature and health, such as pesticides and COVID-19 vaccines. We argue that these trends, amplified by social media, are drawing more men into holistic spiritual movements, which have previously been predominantly associated with women. This chapter examines the phenomena of sciencey-spirituality in the neoliberal age, its gender dynamics, and its response to rising eco-anxiety in Australia.
