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The concept of asceticism shows the unity of efforts through which an individual desires to progress in his moral, religious and spiritual life. The original meaning of the term refers to any exercise, physical, intellectual or moral, practiced with method and rigor, in hopes of self-improvement and progress. Notwithstanding the great flexibility that characterizes the application of asceticism, the concept always alludes to a search towards perfection based on the submission of the body to the spirit, recalling the symbolic distinction between exterior and interior life.
Following the evolution of the concept of asceticism within different historical and social contexts, it is possible to see its strategic importance within the social sciences, especially in regard to understanding the western world. Aside from the combination of physical and intellectual exercises, which have always had their own social relevance, asceticism refers to the complex relationship between nature and culture, as well as to the classic religious relationship between faith and reason; such aspects are the fruit of a continual and dynamic negotiation that develops within concrete social and cultural contexts.
Far from disappearing, asceticism is present even in the contemporary world, and not only in the context of oriental religious and experiences, such as some practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. While in a strictly religious sphere, new forms of asceticism could be tantric practices or yoga. Deborah Lupton (1996) relates asceticism to the issue of food and the awareness of the body and Enzo Pace (1983) puts it in the context of political activism.
Bibliography:
- Lupton, D. (1996) Food, the Body and the Self. Sage, London.
- Pace, E. (1983) Asceti e mistici in una societi secolarizzata. Marsilio, Venice.
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