In lak’ech al lak’en « Je suis un autre toi. Tu es mon autre moi » Transnationalisation et mise en scène de l’autochtonie. Ethnographie des renouveaux mayas en perspective multi-située (Mexique, Guatemala, Suisse)

Abstract

This doctoral research is dedicated to the study of identity issues in contexts of renewal or appropriation of ethnic traditions and their displacement, by specific actors, within the realm of holistic spiritualities. These issues revolve around quests for authenticity, legitimacy and negotiation of (intra)-cultural differences. This research problematizes the relationships among mobility, spirituality and Mayan ethnicity, from the perspective of Transnational Studies and life stories, through the concept of neo-Mayanity. These relationships have been embedded in the broader context of "religious change" and its forms since the 1950s and 1960s. On the one hand, these changes imply the rise of New Age currents in the wake of 1968 counter-culture. On the other hand, they stem from the emergence of new forms of "religious or spiritual mobility", more specifically in the transnational circulation of actors, practices, imaginations and symbols. This research features qualitative case studies conducted in different national contexts. Six field studies were carried out as part of a multi-situated ethnography spanning Mexico, Guatemala, Switzerland and Germany, using methods such as narrative interviews, direct participant observations, cyber-ethnography, and ethno-photography. The research aims to show current transformations in the field of Mayan ethnicity, ever since contact with globalized New Age spiritualities. A variety of empirical examples reveal that since the "2012 Phenomenon", the accelerated transnationalization of spiritual leaders has involved a resemantization of symbolic contents and rituals through processes of rearrangement, visual innovation and cohabitation.