A. MacDonald - Böcker

This book is centrally concerned with crucial theoretical and practical aspects of teaching in the national and global borderlands of gender, race and sexuality studies. The cross cultural feminist focus of this anthology allows the contributors to consider the various ways in which global and national frameworks intersect in the classroom and in students' thinking, and also the ways in which power and authority are developed, directed and deployed in the feminist classroom. This volume provides a critical elaboration of provocative, self-reflexive questions for feminist cultural and intellectual practice for the 21st century. In doing so, the volume provides a site for engaged feminist self criticism for the specific purpose of reinvigorating a critical pedagogical practice grounded in multicultural feminist identities.

Walking practices are experiencing a revival in the post-millennial world. Chief among these is the discipline of pilgrimage. The purpose of this research was to explore the pilgrimage trope as a pathway to spiritual renewal for Ottawa’s Shepherds of Good Hope (SGH) volunteers. A form of substitute pilgrimage identified as ‘virtual pilgrimage’ was adapted to simulate the last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago trail. A purposive random sample of twelve SGH volunteers (six men and six women) walked the distance virtually, over a period of six weeks. Each week, the participants were given a reflection question to focus their walks and their journal accounts. The research methodology was configured around Richard Osmer’s four-task cycle for practical theological research. The data was collected by way of a questionnaire, a focus group, and the participants’ journal accounts. NVIVO software was used to analyze the data, and Stephen Bevans’ “Praxis Model” was used to interpret the results. Virtual pilgrimage encompasses many of the themes associated with the traditional distance pilgrimage, including suspension of regular routines, intentionality, experiences of blessedness and beauty, and encounters with sacred mystery that inspired social action. The results showed that virtual pilgrimage contains the same facility for spiritual renewal as the traditional, distance pilgrimage, with potential wide-ranging applications in the health, human, and social services fields.