Martina Sophia Pallaro
Thesis title: A Qualitative Insight on New Forms of Religiosity and Spirituality in Ireland
Supervisor: Professor Tom Inglis
Biographical Note:
The aim of this research is to make a contribution to the sociology of religion in Ireland. The changes that have taken place in the past decades in the religious sphere of Western societies are unprecedented in terms of quality and magnitude. The overall trend is that of a decrease in participation and engagement in social religious life which implies the weakening of the power and authority of religious institutions. Personal and independent ways of exploring religiosity and spirituality are becoming morecommon. The result is the emergence of forms of spiritual practices alternative, or at least different, to traditional ones.
This study tries to cast a light on the transformations occurring in people’s religious life in Ireland, which traditionally has had a strong Catholic religious and cultural background. In particular, it aims to understand the religious experience of Irish people who choose to engage in spiritual practices belonging to Eastern religions such as yoga and meditation. In the last decades social research studying religion have mainly focused on the degree of participation and involvement within religious institutions using quantitative methodologies. The qualitative approach of this research aims to narrow the gap existent in the literature on the topic between ‘religiosity’ and ‘spirituality’. It investigates the newly emerging forms of personal religious involvement and the meaning they have for the individual and the society, and explores the dynamics of the communities of practice developing as result of religious and spiritual changes.
Awards Obtained:
Recipient of UCD Postgraduate Scholarship awarded in 2010 for achieving 1st Class Honours in the Sociology Programme
Patrick Semple Medal awarded in 2009 for achieving the highest grade in the Sociology Undergraduate Programme
Patrick Semple Medal awarded in 2009 for achieving the highest grade in the Linguisics Undergraduate Programme
Recipient of Bachelor of Arts Stage 2 and 3 Scholarship awarded in 2008 and 2009 for achieving 1st Class Honours in the Sociology Undergraduate Programme
Recipient of Bachelor of Arts Stage 2 and 3 Scholarship awarded in 2008 and 2009 for achieving 1st Class Honours in the Linguistics Undergraduate Programme