Occulture: a Material Cartography of Contemporary Spirituality and the Arts
Method & Theory in the Study of Religion January 21, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1163/15700682-bja10167 via OpenAlex
Summary
Occulture refers to the growing presence of esotericism, occultism, magic, and spirituality in media, popular culture, and contemporary arts as part of a spiritual revolution in Western societies. Existing research in sociology and media studies focuses on mediatization and commodification, while religious studies examines artists as spiritual seekers. This article argues these perspectives are pieces of a larger mosaic and proposes a material cartography of occulture that maps relationships among artists, artworks, and audiences, which can embody both secular and religious values. The navigational cartography is based on five key tensions: secular versus sacred art, lowbrow versus highbrow art, metaphysical versus performative ontology, author's intention versus audience's reception, and spiritual seekers versus religious dwellers.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | A material cartography of occulture based on five key tensions can show relationships among artists, artworks, and audiences that embody both secular and religious values. |
Abstract
Abstract Occulture describes the growing presence of esotericism, occultism, magic, and spirituality in media, popular culture, and contemporary arts as part of the spiritual revolution in Western contemporary societies. The empirical study of occulture has been carried out through two main theoretical frameworks. In sociology and media studies, scholars have described the mediatization and commodification of esotericism, while in religious studies, scholars have examined artists as spiritual seekers. This article argues that these perspectives are pieces of a larger mosaic. It proposes applying a material cartography of occulture, capable of showing the relationships among different actors (artists, artworks, and audiences) – which can embody both secular and religious values. This article proposes a navigational cartography based on five key tensions: 1) secular art vs. sacred art; 2) lowbrow art vs. highbrow art; 3) metaphysical ontology vs. performative ontology; 4) author’s intention vs. audience’s reception; and 5) spiritual seekers vs. religious dwellers.