It Isn’t Just about the Money: The Implicit Religion of Amway Corporation
Issue: Vol 16 No. 1 (2013)
Journal: Implicit Religion
Subject Areas: Religious Studies
Abstract:
Half-way along the continuum linking religious and secular organizations can be found quasi-religious organizations, an example of hybridization characterized by the concurrence of commercial activity and symbolic practices connected with an implicitly religious dimension. Amway Corporation (a company operating in the direct-selling sector) is a representative example. This article presents the findings of ethnography carried out in Amway’s Italian context. In particular, it dwells on qualitative interviews conducted with sales operatives. From an analysis of the textual corpus, it becomes clear that belonging to the organization implies an experience of identity-transformation analogous to that of religious conversion.
Author: Stefania Palmisano, Nicola Pannofino
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