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Spiritual and Religious Information Practices: Lessons from the Field
Abstract
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?
Many people relied on their faith as one resource in order to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, between the eighteen months from June 2020 to November 2021, different participants at different times were assessed during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The total sample of this continuous cross-sectional survey consisted of 4,693 participants. Analyses revealed that with the 2nd wave of the infection and its 2nd lockdown, trust in a Higher Source, along with praying and meditation decreased. Also, the sharp increase in corona-related stressors was associated with a decline of wellbeing and a continuing loss of faith. These developments were observed in both Catholics and Protestants, and in both younger and older persons. In addition, the long phases of insecurity and social isolation lacking the significant support usually given by religious communities may have likewise challenged the religious-coping capacities of religious/spiritual people themselves.
This article explores how Christian clergy in Ireland have framed their adoption of online ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic as opportunities for the churches to retain some significance, even in secularizing societies. It is based on an island-wide survey of 439 faith leaders and 32 in-depth, follow-up interviews. The results of this study are analysed in light of scholarship in three areas: (1) secularization in Ireland, informed by Norris and Inglehart’s evolutionary modernization theory; (2) cross-national research that has found increasing interest in spirituality or religion during the pandemic (with the UK as the main point of comparison); and (3) wider pre-pandemic scholarship on digital religion. The article concludes by arguing that the clergy’s framing of online ministries as opportunities is important: if they regard online ministries as potential sites of religious revitalization, they are more likely to invest in them. There is some evidence that they may be assisted in this by lay volunteers. However, given the secularization already underway, it remains to be seen whether an embrace of blended online and in-person religion will have far-reaching impacts on Ireland’s religious landscape.
Contemplative inquiry is an introspective methodology that values first-person perspectives and diverse ways of knowing. This paper introduces contemplative inquiry as a promising methodology for information science research. The methodology is first contextualized within a discussion of research at the crossroads of information and contemplation and then elaborated utilizing examples from the author’s thesis research. Possible contributions of the methodology to information science are subsequently highlighted, as are potential future research applications. It is proposed that adoption of the methodology will offer information science researchers the techniques and tools necessary to explore fundamental questions regarding human contemplative experiences and growth.
Completing a pilgrimage has often been touted as a transformational experience. Yet, pilgrimage as an information context is sorely lacking in our field, despite the valuable insights it could provide into the complex information environments and evolving states of those who undertake pilgrimage. In this article, I examine a specific pilgrimage: the Hajj in Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Preparing for Hajj involves a series of stages encompassing material, spiritual, and informational dimensions. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, this study applies the lens of pilgrimage as 'lived religion' and makes explicit the detailed activities and outcomes of pilgrim information practices, and the ways in which information in its multiple forms (textual, spiritual, corporeal, etc.) has mediated and shaped the pilgrims' journey. I build on established theories in information behavior and meaning-making in the context of everyday life, as well as the literature on pilgrimage and pilgrimage as 'lived religion' to relate the participants' encounter with Hajj and their experiences toward becoming a Hajji/-a (someone who has completed the Hajj). Findings based on interviews with twelve (12) global Hajj goers suggest that pilgrims' information practices are varied, and transcend both individual (cognitive, affective) as well as social processes (through shared imaginaries and a translocal network of people and resources). The study illustrates the importance of examining diverse transformational experiences in LIS, and the rich contributions that our field can make to these research contexts.
There is a tension in time studies between measuring and accounting for the changing distribution of units of time across social activities, and explaining temporal experiences. By analysing in-depth interviews with 27 people, this article employs a theory of practice to explore the relationship between respondents’ ‘non-work’ practices and five dimensions of time. It hypothesizes that practices which demand a fixed location within daily schedules anchor temporal organization, around which are sequenced sets of interrelated practices. A third category of practices fills the gaps that emerge within temporal sequences.The most significant socio-demographic constraints (gender, age, life-course and education) that shaped how respondents engaged and experienced practices in relation to the five dimensions of time are then considered. It is argued that the relationship between different types of social practices, five dimensions of time and sociodemographic constraints presents a conceptual framework for the systematic analysis of differential temporal experiences.
Ramadan is an important and blessed month for Muslims around the world. It is both a time of spiritual contemplation as well as an opportunity for reinvigorating communal bonds. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, disrupted many of the rituals and traditions of Ramadan. In this exploratory study, we present findings from 22 young Muslims' experiences with Ramadan and fasting during the pandemic. Our article sheds light on the techno-religious practices and information strategies used to mitigate isolation, share information, and celebrate Ramadan. We examine the sociotechnical configurations of religious rituals and highlight the resilience of these rituals even in the midst of a global pandemic. Our paper contributes to CSCW scholarship on technology appropriation and non-use as they relate to religious practices in the face of exogenous shocks such as the pandemic, and how design can better cater to the religious lives of individuals and communities.
Purpose
The outcomes of information behaviours have traditionally been conceptualised as use or effects. The adoption of a sociological stance, based on a practices approach, provides the opportunity to challenge these understandings. The non-Western setting further enhances the possibilities for conceptualising the outcomes of information practices as forms of capital.
Design/methodology/approach
This ethnographic study uses a Bourdieusian approach to investigate the information practices of diasporic devotees and monks of a Theravada Buddhist Temple in Sydney, Australia. The insider position of one researcher brought strong insights into the data, while the theoretical approach shared with the other researchers reinforced an outsider perspective.
Findings
The Temple’s online sources and personal communication with other devotees provide a diverse range of sources that devotees use in information-based cultural practices and everyday life information practices. These practices lead to outcomes that can be identified as economic, social and cultural capital. Pin or merit emerges as an important outcome of practices which is not easily accommodated by the concept of outcome, nor by Bourdieu’s categories of capital.
Originality/value
Adding to the small number of studies concerned with information practices in a spiritual context, this study shows the value of a Bourdieusian approach in identifying the outcomes of information practices as capital, but highlights the shortcomings of applying Western concepts in non-Western settings. It proposes the possibility of a new form of capital, which will need to be tested rigorously in studies in other spiritual settings.
Purpose
Discussions in contemporary spirituality frequently highlight a phenomenon of spiritual seeking; moreover, people often describe their spiritual journeys in terms of a search. This paper takes a closer look at this metaphor by presenting a study that analysed spiritual seeking and its informational features in contemporary non-institutionalised settings.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with thirteen spiritual teachers and speakers who were asked questions about spiritual seeking in contemporary non-institutionalised spirituality.
Findings
The authors' participants explained that contemporary spiritual seekers sought spiritual information as a result of affective, developmental and metaphysical concerns. Moreover, their analysis indicated that spiritual information-seeking behaviour incorporated practices such as prayer, yoga and meditation, and contemporary spiritual information interactions were facilitated through spiritual retreats, meditation classes, yoga classes and online social platforms.
Research limitations/implications
Since the authors focused on spiritual seeking in contemporary non-institutionalised settings, their findings cannot exhaustively represent all spiritual pursuits in contemporary society. Their study (1) identifies the informational features of contemporary spiritual seeking, (2) explains spiritual seeking as an activity that may theoretically reside within a broader framework of profound information interactions and (3) helps theorise the concept of qualitative profundity in information science research.
Originality/value
This study provides an intuitive contextual approach for undertaking information research in under-explored domains such as contemplation and spirituality.
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.
Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to reimagine how they engage in spiritual and religious activities. This paper presents an analysis of the information practices of young Muslims during Ramadan, with a focus on their social, spiritual and COVID-related needs and strategies.
Method. Our qualitative approach entailed semi-structured interviews with 22 self-identified Muslims from across the Muslim spectrum. They were asked about their experiences with completing Ramadan under pandemic, including the nature of information accessed and shared as part of the fasting rituals.
Analysis. Interviews were transcribed, and open coding was used to categorize the data into themes. The thematic analysis was conducted through an iterative process.
Results. Our findings pointed to the differing affective states of the young Muslims who observed the fast under COVID. Participants also hinted at the loss of communal practices and rituals and the emergence of new habits and coping strategies (many informational in nature). Social and emotional support were particularly critical to overcoming the challenges.
Conclusions. This study contributes to a better understanding of the intersection between information activities and spiritual/religious practices. The findings also have theoretical and practical implications for the role of information and technology in times of crisis.
Overview of the Handbook:
How do we understand religious spaces? What is their role or function within specific religious traditions or with respect to religious experience? This handbook brings together thirty-three essays addressing these questions using a range of methods and approaches to examine specific spaces or types of spaces around the world and across time. The authors here represent and draw upon many disciplines: religious studies and religion, anthropology, archaeology, architectural history and architecture, cultural and religious history, sociology, geography, gender and women's studies and others. Their essays are snapshots, each offering a specific way to think about the religious space(s) under consideration: Roman shrines, Jewish synagogues, Christian churches, Muslim and Catholic shrines, indigenous spaces in Central America and East Africa, cemeteries, memorials, and more.
Some overarching principles emerge from these snapshots. The authors demonstrate that religious spaces are simultaneously individual and collective, personal and social; that they are influenced by culture, tradition, and immediate circumstances; and that they participate in various relationships of power. These essays demonstrate that religious spaces do not simply provide a convenient background for religious action but are also constituent of religious meaning and religious experience; they play an active role in creating, expressing, broadcasting, maintaining, and transforming religious meanings and religious experiences. By learning how religious spaces function, readers of this collection will gain a deeper understanding of religious life and religions themselves.
Introduction. This study aimed to highlight the perceptions of spiritual needs in modern librarianship through a survey administered amongst practising librarians primarily in the USA and UK. In addition, this study contributes to the conceptualisation of the spiritual in library settings and discussions on service provision within Western libraries. Methods. We used a mixed-methods approach which collected quantitative and qualitative data through one survey. Analysis. We analysed the responses through descriptive statistics and thematic coding. Results. Librarians connected spiritual needs with humanness, emotions, wellbeing, religion and culture. Spiritual needs associated with love/belonging/respect and positivity/gratitude/hope/peace were perceived more often than those associated with resolution/death and the divine. The need to perform religious/ spiritual rituals and participate in religious/spiritual services was regarded as the least important to consider in modern librarianship. Conclusions. Our findings 1) Support prior research that conceptualises modern libraries as spaces for contemplation and spirituality; 2) Provide an account of how librarians understand the concept of spiritual needs; 3) Indicate librarians’ perceptions of the prevalence of spiritual needs amongst library patrons; 4) Highlight the perceived importance of considering spiritual needs in modern libraries.
Purpose
Trends in information technology and contemplative practices compel us to consider the intersections of information and contemplation. The purpose of this paper is to consider these intersections at the level of institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the notion of institution is defined and discussed, along with information institutions and contemplative institutions. Next, sanctuary is proposed and explored as a vision for institutions in the digital age.
Findings
Sanctuary is a primordial human institution that has especial urgency in the digital age. This paper develops an info-contemplative framework for sanctuaries, including the elements: stability, silence, refuge, privacy and reform.
Research limitations/implications
This is a conceptual paper that, though guided by prior empirical and theoretical work, would benefit from application, validation and critique. This paper is meant as a starting point for discussions of institutions for the digital age.
Practical implications
As much as this paper is meant to prompt further research, it also provides guidance and inspiration for professionals to infuse their work with aspects of sanctuary and be attentive to the tensions inherent in sanctuary.
Originality/value
This paper builds on discourse at the intersection of information studies and contemplative studies, also connecting this with recent work on information institutions.
Purpose
Americans increasingly feel a sense of wonder at the universe; meditation and yoga are on the rise; and a field known as Contemplative Studies has emerged. These indicators, among others, suggest a groundswell of interest in contemplative practice and contemplative experience and raise intriguing questions for information and Information Studies. Against this backdrop, this paper asks: How might Information Studies contribute to these developments? What is the relationship between information and contemplation? What can be explored on this research frontier?
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper is based upon a synthesis of recent writings from the field of Contemplative Studies as well as conceptual analysis of selected papers and themes in Information Studies. It draws from discussion that occurred at a Session for Interaction and Engagement at the 2018 iConference, entitled “Contemplating Information in the Pleasurable and the Profound” (Latham et al., 2018). The authors' creative thinking and personal contemplative practices also infuse and fortify the work.
Findings
Popular and academic contemplative movements are afoot, and Information Studies has an opportunity to participate or be left behind. The field of Contemplative Studies has established the foundational concepts that can serve as contextual material for information research into contemplation. Upon closer inspection, Information Studies has already broached the topic of contemplation at various points in its history, theory, institutional practices, and information behavior research. The conceptual points of departure for a research frontier are articulated.
Originality/value
Beyond data, information, and knowledge are deeper and more profound aims, such as wisdom, which is related to contemplation. This paper supplies a rationale, scholarly community, conceptual resources, historical precedents, and guiding questions for bridging information and contemplation.
This article argues for the concept of public library as contemplative space. Public libraries, beyond their information access and public sphere functions, have an important role to play in cultivating the inner lives of their patrons. This situation is even more acute given the psychosocial maladies of our information age. This focus on contemplation is related to the growing interest in mindfulness both in LIS and wider society. However, contemplation is a wider and more effective term to use, as it can refer to a wide range of practices focused on enhancing interiority and promoting a deepened sense of meaning and purpose. Public libraries have an important role to play in providing more affordable, equitable, and inclusive access to contemplative practices through programming and other activities. The article also discusses specific examples of public library as contemplative space. These examples chart a course and vision for a deeper and potentially transformative understanding of how libraries can be effective contemplative spaces for society. In this vision, the health, well-being, and inner lives of patrons are front and centre.
In this perspectives paper, I discuss meaning-making as an information seeking and interaction enterprise. I present meaning-making as a vital human reaction to significant life changes and present indicative evidence of how people go about gathering information for making meaning within their lives. I discuss some of the various forms of information that can be used for meaning-making, why it is an information seeking task that is different to those we are used to in information seeking research, and motivate meaning-making as a new focus for information seeking and information interactions research.
This study uses interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative interview methodology, to examine the information experience of Catholic readers of the Bible. It presents a detailed, individual-focused account of how Catholics experience the Bible, in its diverse oral, print, and digital manifestations, as a source of religious information. Participants in this study were found to experience the Bible as God's Word, with which they interface in three thematic ways: Connections, Journey, and Practice. These themes are, in turn, linked by the processes of sharing, repetition, and interpretation. This work extends previous research on the religious reading of believers and numinous document experience, and it contributes to a budding conceptualization of reading as an example of document work rather than a merely cognitive activity.
This article asks methodological questions about studying infrastructure with some of the tools and perspectives of ethnography. infrastructure is both relational and ecological-it means different things to different groups and it is part of the balance of action tools, and the built environment, inseparable from them. It also is frequently mundane to the point of boredom, involving things such as plugs, standards, and bureaucratic forms. Some of the difficulties of studying infrastructure are how to scale up from traditional ethnographic sites, how to manage large quantities of data such as those produced by transaction logs and how to understand the interplay of online and offline behavior: Some of the tricks of the trade involved in meeting these challenges include studying the design of infrastructure, understanding the paradoxes of infrastructure as both transparent and opaque, including invisible work in the ecological analysis, and pinpointing the epistemological status of indictors.
Over the last decade, new information and communication technologies have lived a secret life. For individuals and institutions
around the world, this constellation of mobile phones, personal computers, the internet, software, games, and other computing
objects have supported a complex set of religious and spiritual needs. In this paper, I offer a survey of emerging and emergent
techno-spiritual practices, and the anxieties surrounding their uptake. I am interested in particular in the ways in which
religious uses of technology represent not only a critique of dominant visions of technology’s futures, but also suggest a
very different path(s) for ubiquitous computing’s technology envisioning and development.
We present results from a study examining how American Protestant Christians' faith affects their domestic life. There are two contributions of this work for the HCI community. First, we provide empirical evidence demonstrating how topics of interest to HCI researchers (e.g., material artifacts, routines, and ICT use) are used for religious purposes. Our findings show how Christians distinguish these aspects of domestic life from their secular counterparts. Second, we use our findings to reflect on current directions of future domestic ICT applications. Specifically, we critically evaluate the "problem solving" approaches dominating the design of future technologies, and present extraordinary computing or systems that promote and honor the special value accorded to some aspects of domestic life. Author Keywords Religion, domestic technologies
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