Description
Book SynopsisAs 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.
Table of ContentsContents: Heather A. Warfield: Introduction – Bruce D. McDonald, III: Public Administration Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Anne E. Bailey: Medieval History Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Ian Styler: Digital Humanities Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Alison T. Smith: Gender Studies Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Kathryn Hurlock: History of Medicine Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Paul Post: Ritual Studies Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Jaeyeon Choe: Tourism Studies Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Joy Ackerman: Environmental Studies Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Hossein Godazgar: Sociology Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Daniel H. Olsen: Geography Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Heather A. Warfield: Psychology Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Kenneth David Strang: Information Studies Perspectives on Pilgrimage – Michael A. Di Giovine and Deana L. Weibel: Anthropology Perspectives on Pilgrimage.
