Routledge The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions

Increasingly, it is being recognized that spirituality, defined here as "a multiform search for a transcendent meaning of life that connects them to all living beings and brings them in touch with God or ‘Ultimate Reality,’" is an aspect of almost every sphere and aspect of social life. It appears in humanity’s dealings with nature, home and community, healing, economics and business, knowledge, and education. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions is a stimulating collection that summarizes the most important issues, frameworks, discussions, and problems relating to spiritually inspired activities in different fields of social life. The contributors explore how spirituality is a part of existence and present approaches and models for professionals working in diverse areas. Presented in seven parts, the book provides a full overview of current research and practice. Part II, "Facets of spirituality," explores topics including philosophy, psychology, theology, and culture. Part III, "Nature," looks at ecology, agriculture, cities, and tourism. Part IV, "Home and community," presents chapters on various life stages, disability, gender, and culture. Part V, "Healing," examines medicine, mental and physical health, and ill-health. In Part VI, "Economy, politics, and law," contributors discuss business, leadership and the workplace, peace, and policing. Part VII, "Knowledge and education," includes chapters on science, design, fashion, literature, and the arts. In the final part, "Way forward," the editors look to the future with a chapter on inter-spirituality and the renewal of social practices. Driven by contemporary research and new developments, this Handbook is an innovative and interdisciplinary collection that provides an essential overview of contemporary spirituality and society from an international selection of contributors. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions offers accessible, diverse, and engaging international research, and its scope will appeal to academics and students of a wide range of subjects, including aging and addiction, psychology, theology, religious studies, sociology, business studies, and philosophy. It will also be an important work for professionals in medical and social services, the clergy, education, business, the arts, religious communities, and politics, and members of organizations looking at the links between spirituality, religion, and society. Review "In the morally ambiguous workplace of modern corporations, spirituality is a poorly understood topic, and yet one of the most important issues facing organizations today. Lack of spirituality is also a source of many contemporary problems. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions brings together an impressive array of writers deeply exploring this topic from multiple perspectives and at multiple levels. This book offers the most important concepts, frameworks and examples for understanding spirituality in organizations and society. The book should be of great interest to both researchers and practitioners." - Paul Shrivastava, Professor and Director, Sustainability Institute, Pennsylvania State University, USA, and International Research Chair in Art and Sustainable Enterprise, ICN Business School, France "The immense damage that the relentless search for analytic truth in economic life has caused is now becoming tragically clear as environmental degradation, growing income and political inequality bring about political instability, violence and human suffering. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions explores and shows how and why spirituality is an indispensable part our lives rather than some 'exogenous' factor that, for the sake of the mathematical elegance of some model, can be safely ignored. This outstanding volume is part of the growing