What we talk about when we talk about Hakuna: keys to understand cool Catholicism in Spain

Abstract

Boasting over sixty groups spanning four continents, an intensive use of ‘digital apostolate’ techniques, and significant visibility beyond religious circles due to the multitudinous concerts of its Christian pop group, the Catholic youth movement Hakuna is a unique phenomenon in the secularized Spanish landscape. This article seeks to foster a dialogue between the sociological literature on secularization and a case study of Hakuna. To facilitate this, it provides a tripartite analysis of the movement at the macro, meso, and micro dimensions, respectively structured around the examination of religious actors’ responses to secularization and its cultural consequences, the category of ‘elective community,’ and the notion of ‘lived religion.’ Based on a qualitative multi-methods approach, our research traces the keys to an apparent paradox: the emergence of ‘cool Catholicism’ in a context characterized by increasing religious indifference and exculturation.