Intersecting Journeys

The appeal of sacred sites remains undiminished at the start of the twenty-first century, as unprecedented numbers of visitors travel to Lourdes, Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela, and even Star Trek conventions.  Ethnographic analysis of the conflicts over resources and meanings associated with such sites, as well as the sense of community they inspire, provides compelling evidence re-emphasizing the links between pilgrimage and tourism. As the papers in this collection demonstrate, studies of these forms of journeying are at the forefront of postmodern debates about movement and centers, global flows, social identities, and the negotiation of meanings.
 

Ellen Badone is an associate professor of anthropology and religious studies at McMaster University and author of The Appointed Hour: Death, Worldview and Social Change in Brittany.Sharon Roseman is an associate professor of anthropology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.