Solastalgia and spirituality

Abstract (English)

What is solastalgia and why are anthropologists dealing with it? Sudden changes in the environment and alterations in contexts and landscapes due to modifications by human beings are causing worlds in which we have lived to disappear. Villages, landscapes that will no longer exist and that have been altered even simply by the impact of mass tourism leave a feeling of emptiness and anxiety. The feeling of psychological discomfort and anxiety in relation to these changes, the regret of the appearance of a world that can no longer exist has been called solastalgia. How does one respond to solastalgia and what solutions do people find to refresh themselves from these difficulties? Sometimes new forms of spirituality, religions that draw on ancient or more recent mythologies, or exotic forms of spirituality help to alleviate the discomfort. This panel aims to gather evidence and ethnographic documentation on the resources that small, large communities or individuals put in place to resist various forms of solastalgia.