Psychologisation of Eastern Spiritual Traditions: Colonisation, Translation and Commodification

This book explores how Eastern spiritual traditions have been stripped of their spiritual roots and assimilated into secular Western frames of Psychology, resulting in the commodification of Eastern practices. It presents emerging voices of resistance and offers a path for collaboration.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 158 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book delves into the profound ways in which Eastern spiritual traditions have been stripped of their spiritual essence, content, and context, in order to be more easily assimilated into secular Western frameworks of psychology. The author begins by tracing the historical roots of this phenomenon, encompassing the colonial histories of empire and the subsequent romanticization and idealization of the East that emerged in the 1960s Counterculture. Through a comprehensive exploration, Cohen uncovers how Hindu, Buddhist, and Daoist traditions have gradually transformed into forms of psychology, psychotherapy, and self-help, undergoing processes of modernization and secularization until their respective cosmologies have been successfully reinterpreted and reimagined.

A significant aspect of this psychologization is the accompanying commodification of Eastern spiritual practices, including the widespread marketing of mindfulness and meditation as part of the growing well-being industry. Moreover, the book presents emerging voices of resistance from within Eastern spiritual traditions, offering a chapter on Transpersonal Psychology as a pathway for moving away from colonization and towards collaboration.

This thought-provoking work appeals to students and scholars in psychology, philosophy, religious studies, as well as mindfulness practitioners, as it engages with the 'mindfulness movement' and other practices that have been assimilated into Western culture. By shedding light on the historical and cultural forces that have shaped the Western appropriation of Eastern spiritual practices, this book provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue between different belief systems and promotes a deeper understanding of the complexities of intercultural exchange.

Weight: 210g
Dimension: 210 x 137 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367375362