Editorial: Spaces of Renewal

• Published in: Culture and religion Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Maddrell, Avril, della Dora, Veronica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01-03-2013
• Subjects: Emotions; Parenthood; Secularism; Social history; Social life; Spiritualism
• ISSN: 1475-5610; 1475-5629
• DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2013.767547

Change can be sudden or gradual; it can happen in a specific moment in one's life, or take an entire life time consider, for example, the physical and emotional effect of a car accident as compared to that of natural ageing. The experience and impact of the outbreak of a war, a new job, parenthood, being in love, moving home, religious conversion, serious illness, infidelity, redundancy; each holds the potential to cause shifts in the sense of self and world view, with positive or negative effects. Renewal is a particular form and expression of change, one which may occur by serendipity, such as the renewal of an old friendship through a chance encounter, but which tends to be the product of conscious intentionality and choice. Renewal is, as the word implies, re-newal, making new again. It is a concept at the heart of many religious and spiritual beliefs and rites, as well as secular customs, and can be applied to individuals, communities, places and practices. Renewal can be physical and spiritual; it can be deeply personal, yet socially-driven. It can mesh emotional, psychological and physiological processes, and in contemporary western society whole industries have grown up around these intersecting phenomena, including urban regeneration, diets, exercise and skin regimes, cosmetic surgery, self-help programmes, revivals, retreats and holidays. A new more authentic self, team, or community is promised through attaining a particular size, shape, reputation, fervour, or order. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd.