Short Abstract

This roundtable asks: What can spirituality offer in an increasingly divided world? Bringing together anthropologists across subfields, we explore spirituality as a set of relational, embodied, and world-making practices that may open new pathways toward collective healing and coexistence.

Long Abstract

In an age of political polarisation, ecological crisis, and deepening religious divides, “spirituality” is often either dismissed as an individualised pursuit of meaning and wellness; or, conversely, blamed for fuelling “superstition,” commodification, and cultural appropriation. Yet across diverse ethnographic contexts, research shows that spiritual practices - from mindfulness and ancestor remembrance to tarot reading and ecological ritual - are emerging as vital resources for healing wounded selves and polarised communities. This roundtable asks: What can spirituality offer in an increasingly divided world? Bringing together anthropologists across subfields, we explore spirituality not only as a personal quest for meanings but as a set of relational, embodied, and world-making practices that may open new pathways toward collective healing and coexistence. How do people across societies engage spirituality to navigate moral injury, loss, and disconnection? What kinds of ethical, affective, and political communities arise from these practices? And how might anthropology, as a discipline attuned to lived pluralism, help reimagine spirituality as a bridge between differences?

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