Pilgrimage Studies – serie

Since the dawn of humanity, people have traveled in search of meaning and to petition for worldly and otherworldly blessings. In the twenty-first century, the number of people traveling to religious sacred sites on pilgrimage has increased more than at any point in human history. An increased demand for pilgrimage routes and trails with the spiritual rather than the religious walker in mind, has also led various enterprising groups and individuals to develop entirely new pilgrimage routes and trails. This book highlights this new chapter in pilgrimage and trail development with essays by pilgrimage scholars and practitioners working in over ten countries.These include an examination of circular pilgrimage in The Netherlands, weird or «antipilgrimages» in the UK, and the revitalization of ancient trails along the Old Way to Canterbury, in the Baltic States, and on the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Entirely new trails include the Sufi Trail in Turkey, the Western Front Way in Europe, the Abraham Path in Southwest Asia, the Mormon Canadian Trail, and various new religious-themed trails in Lebanon. Human rights pilgrimages include one focused on peace building in Indigenous Australia, another on Indigenous settler pilgrimage protocols in Canada, and an emancipation pilgrimage along the Underground Railroad in the United States.

As a niche field, pilgrimage studies has long been multidisciplinary and draws interest from pilgrims, practitioners, and academic scholars. Despite the burgeoning corpus of pilgrimage literature, there is a gap related to disciplinary-specific publications which reflect how pilgrimage is conceptualised and studied by academics. Moreover, many academic publications assume the reader is familiar with particular research methods and/or theoretical paradigms that inform the work, which is often not the case. The goal of the current volume is to present a foundational text for understanding various disciplines that contribute to the field of pilgrimage studies and to bridge the gulf between academic scholarship and ‘popular’ pilgrimage literature. To this end, each chapter is organised in a similar format, which includes an overview of the discipline or field of study, a brief history, and the types of questions that are addressed by the discipline. Building on this foundation, the chapters include a section on contemporary literature pertaining to pilgrimage or pilgrimage-like phenomena. Authors further consider theoretical perspectives and methodological concerns. Finally, authors explore recommendations for future research and/or directions for advanced exploration. The volume includes chapters from disciplines formerly silent on pilgrimage phenomena such as public administration, information studies, and digital humanities.

This volume is the first of its kind to focus entirely on food in the context of pilgrimage and faith-based tourism. It presents key studies that are relevant to academics, pilgrimage stakeholders, faith-based tourism stakeholders, planning and policy makers, tourist guides, students and interested readers alike. The knowledge and rich contents should find its way into practical applications and educational materials in the field.The value of this edited collection lies in the approach of the contributors, who have explored food as a complement to spiritual experience in the context of pilgrimage and faith-based tourism. They demonstrate how giving, receiving and sharing promotes respect and understanding. At the same time, food can be used as an active peace-building tool, promoting inclusion, bridging cultures and bringing harmony to the table and beyond.