It isn’t just about the money. The implicit religion of Amway Corporation

Half way along the continuum linking lay and religious 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 identity transformation experience analogous to that of religious conversion.