Experiences of lived spirituality in Aotearoa and Norway: An ethnographic study of spiritual lives between worlds
As global issues such as social inequality, climate change, and political instability intensify, many people are turning inward in search of meaning, resilience, and hope through spiritual practices and experiences. While this turn towards spirituality might be happening in many parts of the world, lived spirituality seems to be markedly different in different contexts.
This study explores how local contexts influence spirituality in Norway and New Zealand (Aotearoa), examining participants’ worldviews in relation to spirituality and the historical, social, and cultural conditions that shape them. Through six months of fieldwork across both countries (three months in each), data was collected through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, with the aim of understanding how people make sense of the world and contemporary challenges. The analysis shows that spirituality is not only a way of thinking about the world, but also a way of living it through embodied practices and everyday ways of life. The findings highlight how spirituality is actively shaped by broader structural and historical conditions, including colonial histories, Christianity, and modernity, which influence how individuals relate to themselves, others, and the world.
This study contributes to a more contextual understanding of spirituality, showing that it is not a fixed or universal experience, but a dynamic and situated phenomenon, often affecting the environment, the self, the community, and the entire planet.
This study explores how local contexts influence spirituality in Norway and New Zealand (Aotearoa), examining participants’ worldviews in relation to spirituality and the historical, social, and cultural conditions that shape them. Through six months of fieldwork across both countries (three months in each), data was collected through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, with the aim of understanding how people make sense of the world and contemporary challenges. The analysis shows that spirituality is not only a way of thinking about the world, but also a way of living it through embodied practices and everyday ways of life. The findings highlight how spirituality is actively shaped by broader structural and historical conditions, including colonial histories, Christianity, and modernity, which influence how individuals relate to themselves, others, and the world.
This study contributes to a more contextual understanding of spirituality, showing that it is not a fixed or universal experience, but a dynamic and situated phenomenon, often affecting the environment, the self, the community, and the entire planet.
Publisert i 2026
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