Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences (KJSS)
The cult of wealth: Religious practices of life coaching and creating millionaire subjectivity in Thailand
Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences -- formerly Kasetsart Journal (Social Sciences), Volume 045, Issue 2, April 2024- June 2024, Pages 605-614
ISSN: 2452-3151(0125-8370)
Pattariya Khongthana
a,*
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a
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
*
Corresponding author, e-mail:
pattariya.khong@gmail.com
Abstract
Most studies in anthropology suggest that religious practice plays a significant role in promoting capitalism and entrepreneurship. However, this article focuses on non-religious areas and argues that life coaching programs, such as “The Mindfulness Map (fictitious name)”—a course at an institute in Thailand that teaches knowledge on developing wealth and is popular among entrepreneurs—create new forms of religious practice that promote wealth. This article uses the concept of subjectivity to understand how religious beliefs and faith support capitalist ideology. The phenomenon in which a life coaching program is rooted is the cult of wealth,” and the resulting religious practices and mystical worship give practitioners a sense of blessing and protection. Their interpretations of religious practices for wealth alleviate the sense of insecurity in Thailand’s capitalist system.
Keywords
capitalism, cult of wealth, life coaching, religious practice, spiritual
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