In search of Krishna: narrative enquiry and the trajectory of the spiritual in Krishnacore

This chapter examines the value of narrative enquiry as a means of exploring and unpacking the religious/spiritual experiences of participants within the punk sub-genre Krishnacore: a sub-genre that arose from the complex relationship between American hardcore punk and the Krishna Consciousness Movement in New York in the 1990s. I begin by providing a brief literature review of narrative enquiry as a methodological approach, turning then to the use of ‘critical event narrative analysis’ (see Mertova and Webster 2020) and Lieblich et al.’s five stages in forming a holistic-content of a life story (Lieblich et al. 1998). Both approaches inform my own work discussed below. Third, and drawing upon my present research, I guide the reader through my own reflections on the use of narrative enquiry as a means of teasing out key moments of spiritual expression/awareness for those involved within Krishnacore.

I pull upon recent and ongoing research, firstly in the form of an academic article and book chapter written on the subject, and secondly in the form of a series of podcasts entitled The Krishnacore Chronicles. This section also examines other ways in which musicians narrate their spiritual journeys, not least through album cover art and lyrical content. In all three cases, this research allowed me to dig deeper into the spiritual journeys of musicians and participants from the scene. Importantly, as a narrative within a narrative (I purposively use the first person), this chapter recounts my own reflective exploration of narrative enquiry as a means of drawing out the experiences of participants within Krishnacore, and how narrative enquiry has informed my own research in this area.