This project’s goal is to catalyze and strengthen a conversation among scholars and the public about metaphysical spirituality. The distinctiveness of the metaphysical tradition has long been overlooked because those who study it have called it many things, including the occult, esotericism, and mysticism. Though the tradition has been influential for centuries within religions like Christianity and Islam, the growth of nonreligion has made it more popular than ever among spiritual seekers.
We plan to gather an interdisciplinary group of scholars at two workshops, one at UCSB and one at the University of Chicago, to map the study of metaphysical spirituality, which hides in plain sight by manifesting in different forms and blending with world religions like Christianity. We plan to publish our scholarly efforts in a field-defining, open-access edited volume and a forum in a leading scholarly journal. In parallel, we plan to create a seminar at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, which will meet for five years and encourage broader scholarly conversation. Co-PIs Blankholm and Harris will each publish solo-authored monographs related to metaphysical spirituality during the project’s three years; one is under contract with W. W. Norton, and the other is under contract with University of Chicago Press.
We also plan to engage local publics in two centers of spiritual life and its study: Santa Barbara and Chicago. A series of visiting lectures will create a humble dialogue between the world’s leading experts on the metaphysical tradition and spiritual leaders, artists, and everyday practitioners. Another series of more targeted public events will aim at fostering collaboration. The project will culminate in a proposal for a second trade-press book, "What Is Spirituality?" which will explain the importance of metaphysical spirituality in the world today.
