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Spiritual information and meaning-making: exploring personal narratives of residents at a contemplative spiritual retreat centre
Abstract
This study aimed to understand the role of information in the domains of contemplation, spirituality, and meaning and purpose. These domains can be a significant aspect of people’s lives and rich in information phenomena. We used narrative analysis, specifically the analysis of online videos in which people were interviewed about their lives after taking residence at a contemplative spiritual retreat centre. We interpreted the interviews through a lens of meaning-making and used a context-centric model to identify the information phenomena at a contemplative spiritual retreat. The findings: (1) Support prior research, which has identified that people engage with spiritual information as a result of a change in worldview, significant events, mystical glimpses, and to gain spiritual knowledge; (2) Deliver an account of the sources and kinds of spiritual information at a contemplative spiritual retreat centre; (3) Provide insights into how people interact with spiritual information during a contemplative spiritual retreat; (4) Suggest that residents at a contemplative spiritual retreat centre seek spiritual information primarily for affective outcomes. We demonstrated meaning-making as a helpful lens to interpret information interactions in the domains of contemplation, spirituality, meaning and purpose, and value in life.
... Second, we view contemplative practice as an iterative form of information use activities, where individuals shape and integrate information in ways that align with their mental and spiritual needs (Nangia & Ruthven, 2022;Ruthven, 2024). Examining contemplative practices allows us to establish a direct link between information use and meaning-making (King & Hicks, 2021). ...
When faced with significant life events, people often seek information support to help them regain a sense of meaning. Previous research has rarely explored the information practices of people with mental illnesses, particularly those with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) during life transitions. In this study, we conducted qualitative interviews with 23 people with OCD, using the critical incident technique, to explore their transitional information practices during mental health challenges and to understand how these practices support their meaning‐making processes. An integrated theoretical perspective was proposed, drawing on the information behavior theory of transitions and activity theory, to understand the interplay between the activities of people with OCD and the three transitional stages of understanding, negotiating, and resolving. These activities are influenced by a complex interplay of embodied experiences, social connections, cultural norms, and practical or abstract artifacts, which in turn shape the transitional information practices of individuals with OCD. Consequently, we constructed a model of the transitional information practices among individuals with OCD. This study contributes to the literature on information practices and meaning‐making during life transitions and provides practical insights into how individuals with OCD might receive information support and interventions from various communities.
... He will begin by outlining how scholars have researched spiritual, religious and contemplative information practices within information and communication studies, museum studies and library research. Following this, he will present Panels -seeking patterns and librarian attitudes (towards spiritual/religious information provision) in contemporary spirituality and non-institutionalised religious settings (Nangia & Ruthven, 2022a, 2022b, 2022. This segment will review & consolidate current understandings and stimulate discussion to help engage the audience later in thinking about possible agendas for future research into religion and spirituality-related meaning-making and information experience. ...
This panel centers on presentations that address examples of spiritual and/or religious experiences through an information lens. The panelists will initiate a timely conversation about the ways in which individuals and communities make sense of their information worlds post pandemic and in contexts of high uncertainty (e.g., climate anxiety, increased polarization, AI developments, etc.). In examining coping strategies of the spiritual and/or religious kinds, the panel brings together scholars in a range of information fields to address several of the conference's themes, including new theoretical conceptualizations of the cultural, social, cognitive, affective, and situational aspects of information needs, searching, use, and sharing. As well, the session's examined contexts of everyday lived religion and spirituality can enrich our understanding of the intersections between health and well‐being, socio‐technical arrangements, and evolving and diverse information practices.
The short presentations and interactive engagement bring together an international group of emerging and established scholars into conversation and will coalesce into the formulation of a research agenda on this topic. Speakers’ interventions will revolve around three connected questions: How can religious and spiritual experiences be theoretically contextualized within Information Science?
What research approaches are most suitable for exploring spirituality/religion in our digital networked world?
What ethical challenges do researchers encounter in undertaking this type of research (especially during a pandemic) and how can they be effectively addressed?
This chapter examines the contours of the religious and spiritual information experiences subfield through a review and content analysis of selected contributions from the past two decades in both information science and related fields. The research question that guides this review is: How have spirituality and religion been conceptualized in information science? Our focus has been on the LIS literature along with the fields of information behavior/practice/literacy, as well as related fields such as human–computer interaction (HCI), media and digital studies, religious studies (including sociology and anthropology of religion or religious tourism). Our aim was to highlight the ways in which the information science literature has contributed to advancing these conversations (using a collections/service/user experience or practice lens), but also how the discussions around the sacred, lived religion, contemplation, conversion or techno‐spiritual practices (to name a few) have provided insights into information phenomena and processes. We also discuss the evolution of, and practices associated with, social media and digital practices as well as a discussion of representation (or the lack thereof) of less mainstream religious and spiritual traditions in the literature reviewed. We end with suggestions for future research directions.
Purpose
More than eight in ten people worldwide identify with a religious group. In addition, people often engage with spiritual and religious content despite having no formal beliefs or affiliations. Spirituality remains a prominent feature of Western and Westernised information-based societies and cultures; however, people’s everyday interactions with spiritual and religious information have received disproportionate attention in information and library science research. Accordingly, this paper aims to understand how scholars have explored religion and spirituality in information research and identify current and emerging trends in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyses 115 peer-reviewed articles, 44 book chapters, 24 theses and 17 unrefereed papers published between 1990 and 2022 to present a narrative review of how scholars have explored spirituality and religion in information research. The reviewed literature is first organised into spirituality-related and religion-related articles and thereafter analysed in Internet studies, information behaviour studies and galleries, libraries, archives and museums-related research groups.
Findings
Our analysis indicates scholars in Internet studies have researched both established and alternative religious interactions, and emerging research agendas seek to explore intersections between traditional religious authority and modern Internet-facilitated engagements. Information behaviour scholars have examined interactions in Christianity and Islam, focused primarily on Western contexts and conventional interactions, with emerging research aiming to explore diverse contextual and methodological combinations. Finally, GLAM researchers have investigated the practicality, suitability, and appropriateness of spirituality and religion-related service provisions; however, a clear research agenda is currently lacking in spirituality and religion information research more broadly.
Originality/value
This paper is the first review of the spirituality and religion-related information research spanning Internet studies, information behaviour studies and galleries, libraries, archives and museums research domains.
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