Aspirations to the simple life. From Monastic Asceticism to Secular Discipline of Wellness

The ultra-modern society is going back over the imperative of mass consumption as unique way for the self- realization and happiness. As society calls into question its possibility to secure itself a stable and serene future - especially because of the economic crisis which is lasting longer as it was previewed -, research of alternative ways of life are more and more present. To life differently, to eat healthily, to consume "responsible" are new tendencies which take more and more place in discourses of aspiration to happiness. This society, which comes as a reaction of the mass consumption society, can be called "society of satiety". Whereas consumption was considered as a response to almost all needs of people in the consumption society, the new society of satiety promotes a positive sobriety which does not mean poverty but responsible and voluntary moderation. In this research I seek to explore the modalities of theses alternative disciplines of life in the framework of the sociology of religion and the sociology of the body. As main axes for this study I choose to explore in particularly the wellness bodily disciplines, the consumption practices which answer to an alternative vision of economy and ecological preoccupations and the link to a spirituality which can be found in these practices. The "society of satiety" is more and more looking for alternative ways of life in which bodily disciplines are an inevitable stage to reach the selffulfillment. It is interesting to note that these exercises, for instance fast or in the rhetoric which is used, present a recomposition of the ancient religious system. A characteristic of these new bodily disciplines is the attention to integration of the body in its natural environment. In this way we can notice the construction of a new symbolic system around the body in which the accountability towards itself but also towards the natural environment has a predominant role. First of all I seek to explore monastic propositions for lay people which deal with the body, such as "yoga weeks", "dance and prayer weeks" and so on in order to understand motivations of these people, religious or not. Secondly I plan to study secular asceticism throughout for instance "fast trekking" in order to interrogate the monastic heritage which we can find in these practices. It will be thus possible to explore the new interpretations of the ancient religious system in modern secular asceticism. I intend to purchase this research with empiric methods such as field inquiries and interviews.

The ultra-modern society is stepping back from the imperative of mass consumption as unique way for self-realization and happiness. The idea that more consumption does not bring more happiness is a new trend now. So new forms of voluntary renunciation appear, which have as a goal a comprehensive spiritual and bodily wellness. This renouncement can be surprising in a social context, where asceticism seems to have left monastic life and where instructions of the Church concerning the body are no longer heeded and followed. We call this form of voluntary renouncement secular asceticism. It refers to a form of spiritual ascetism in society that does not respond to prescriptions of the institutional religion. Fast concerning food but also concerning use of digital media and cars are at the heart of this new form of asceticism that challenges the consumer society as much as the disembodied institutional religion. Representations of purification are taking an important place in it, not only with the cleaning of the intestine. This leads to the question why individuals are in need of asceticism in contemporary society. The present study seeks to analyze the reconstitution of the role of the body in the lived spirituality of individuals. Field inquiries with participant observation and semi-structured interviews with the actors are at the center of the methodology. We observe social transfers of asceticism from one field to another. Secular asceticism constitutes an answer to needs that neither consumer society nor institutional religion can respond to. Asceticism stems originally from the monastic sphere, but it has adapted to secular society and is now in this secular form returning to monastic life. E.g., we can observe monks and nuns that adhere to fasting according to the Buchinger method, which is stricter than the traditional monastic fast. Fast is a priori a form of non-consumption. Yet fasting weeks are not free from all economic logic and we can even speak of an economy of asceticism. The study of secular asceticism allows us to take a new look on the relationship between spirituality and consumption. May we on this ground say that we are facing a new trend to a society of satiety? Here two kinds of answer are possible: On the one hand, the idea that more consumption does not bring more happiness is gaining more and more strength. On the other hand, new forms of asceticism presenting themselves as protest against consumption get nevertheless integrated into the consumption system.