Exploring Spiritual Meaning and Resilience in Multicultural Communities in _Southeast Asia_during Social Crisis
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Abstract
Background: Spirituality in multicultural societies has gained scholarly attention as a means of understanding how individuals construct meaning during social uncertainty. However, limited studies have explored how people from diverse religious and cultural contexts experience spirituality as a source of resilience during crises. Method: Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), this study investigates how individuals from various faith traditions interpret and live their spirituality amid social crisis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants and analyzed thematically to uncover essential experiential structures. Findings: Results reveal that spirituality operates both as an inner process of self-renewal and as a communal bridge promoting empathy, interreligious understanding, and moral resilience. Participants reconceptualized spirituality as a lived, relational consciousness rather than a dogmatic belief. Implications: The study advances phenomenological inquiry by framing spirituality as a transformative, relational phenomenon that transcends doctrinal boundaries. It suggests future research should further examine interfaith and intercultural experiences as pathways to cultivating empathy, resilience, and peaceful coexistence in plural societies.
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