Between media staging and subjective experience. Ecstasy from a social science perspective
Abstract
Our paper investigates the non-ordinary state of consciousness ‘ecstasy’ from a social science perspective. First, two different scientific perceptions are juxtaposed: The thesis of a broad distribution of this state of consciousness in modern society and the counter thesis of ecstasy as a cultural disruptive factor. Only a more detailed categorical definition and the distinction from other non-ordinary states of consciousness can create clarity here: The mass media use of the term has to be distinguished from a scientific understanding. This makes it possible to reconstruct the significance of ecstasy for modern society in three steps: (a) the difference between experienced and performed ecstasy, (b) culturally legitimate and illegitimate forms, and (c) the return of the banned in simulative form. The article closes with a list of questions to be explored in the future on the role of ecstasy in modern culture.
