Occulture

Christian Smith is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology emeritus and founding Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his PhD and MA from Harvard University and his BA from Gordon College in 1983. Smith is well known for his research on religion, adolescents and emerging adults, social theory, and critical realism. He was a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 12 years before his move to Notre Dame. His most recent published books are Why Religion Went Obsolete (OUP, 2025) and Divided By Faith (OUP, 2025).Matthew Coetzee is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned his M.A. in Sociology. He received his M.S. from SOAS University of London and his B.A. in Sociology and African Studies from Yale University. His research draws together cultural sociology, social theory, cognition, and collective memory to examine how meanings and moral narratives shape collective action in moments of crisis. Coetzee is the author of "Recurating Robben Island" in the American Journal of Cultural Sociology, and his work has been supported by major fellowships and awards, including the Harry Frank Guggenheim Emerging Scholars Award and the Wilsey Distinguished Graduate Fellowship.Bridget Ritz received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame (2022), her M.A. in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago (2015), and her B.A. in Politics from Ave Maria University (2013). Her work bridges insights from American pragmatism, critical realist philosophy of social science, and cultural sociology. Bridget is co-author of Religious Parenting: Transmitting Faith and Values in Contemporary America (2020). Her articles have been published in the Journal of Classical Sociology, the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, the Journal of Critical Realism, and Science Advances.

• Introduction1. Three Enchanted Americans: Sofia, Tyler, Sarah2. A National Portrait in Numbers3. Understanding Re-Enchantment on Its Own Terms4. Three Enchanted Spaces: a Fairy Festival, a Vampire Ball, and a Spiritual Congregation 5. Re-Mapping the American Cultural Field: Six Major Types 6. Two Enchanted-Religious Americans: Carlos and Destiny7. Enchanted Americans' Beliefs and Values8. Sources of Occulture: Enchantment's Tributaries9. Three Enchanted Americans: Rachel, Daniel, Fran10. Three More Enchanted Spaces: Esoteric Shops, a Paranormal Convention, a Supernatural Art Exhibit11. How and Why Americans Embrace Occulture12. Waves of Enchanting Media 13. How Media Spread Occulture: Three Cases14. Two Enchanted Americans: Melissa and Zoe15. Penetrating Mainstream Institutions16. What It All Means Conclusion

This is an essential book for understanding the lived experience and organizational infrastructure located between traditional religion and secularism. Occulture documents the persistence of spiritual longings, paints a vivid portrait of individuals and local scenes, and offers keen insights from these enchanted spaces at every step of the way.