Making Scientology Real:Interpretive Drift and transmedial world-making

How does Scientology become plausible to people? How do aspirant scientologists learn to think, act, and experience the world in the Scientological way? In this thesis, I examine the practices (such as auditing), interpretive devices (such as the ARC triangle), and texts (websites, instruction videos, and books) that aspiring Scientologists are confronted with, and analyse how exposure to all of this propels a process of what Tanya Luhrmann labelled ‘interpretive drift’. In Scientology, interpretative drift involves three interrelated dimensions: aspirant members are (i) exposed to experiences (of everyday and traumatic situations), and (ii) trained to interpret these experiences in particular ways that continuously reinforce a Scientological worldview. Furthermore (iii) rationalisations – such as appeals to Hubbard’s charisma and the scientific nature of Scientology – justify the truth and value of the Scientological worldview. Henry Jenkins’ theory of transmediality will be...Show moreHow does Scientology become plausible to people? How do aspirant scientologists learn to think, act, and experience the world in the Scientological way? In this thesis, I examine the practices (such as auditing), interpretive devices (such as the ARC triangle), and texts (websites, instruction videos, and books) that aspiring Scientologists are confronted with, and analyse how exposure to all of this propels a process of what Tanya Luhrmann labelled ‘interpretive drift’. In Scientology, interpretative drift involves three interrelated dimensions: aspirant members are (i) exposed to experiences (of everyday and traumatic situations), and (ii) trained to interpret these experiences in particular ways that continuously reinforce a Scientological worldview. Furthermore (iii) rationalisations – such as appeals to Hubbard’s charisma and the scientific nature of Scientology – justify the truth and value of the Scientological worldview. Henry Jenkins’ theory of transmediality will be employed to account for the Church of Scientology’s use of different media (websites, literature, books, and oral training), and of both non-fictional and fictional works by Hubbard, to create a transmedial and serialised ‘world’ or ‘hermeneutic horizon’ that Scientologists can (learn to) inhabit.Show less

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Making Scientology Real:Interpretive Drift and transmedial world-making