Network spirituality: the Schumacher-resurgence-Kumar nexus

Network models have achieved wide and varied currency in contemporary descriptions of Alternative spiritualities. However, in general, the ascription of a network structure and functionality among alternative religious groups and practices has not been followed with a rigorous examination of how the network is constituted in the field. This paper proposes a web model as the most appropriate taxonomical structure for Alternative spiritualities. The web model is applied to a detailed investigation of three linked aspects of the phenomena of alternative thought and spirituality: Schumacher College, the periodical Resurgence , and Satish Kumar. All are based in the UK and have a global influence on discussions about, in the words of Kumar, 'soil, soul and society'. The purpose of this paper has three elements. Firstly, to provide a description of an aspect of Alternative spirituality that has so far not been the subject of academic enquiry, using phenomenological, historical, and ethnographic research methods. Secondly, to outline an appropriate model of this aspect of spirituality that is accurate, of use in this specific context, and of utility in other contexts. Thirdly, to make an objective 'performance' of the model on three different categories of subject--a geographically located organisation, a periodical, and an individual.