New books coming months

Coming months some relevant books reach the stores, to mention a few:

• The Camino de Santiago in the 21st Century
• International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies
• The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics
• Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
• Christian Pilgrimage, Landscape and Heritage: Journeying to the Sacred

More information on the books and their contents below.

The Camino de Santiago in the 21st Century

Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Global Views

Edited by Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez, Annie Hesp

Routledge – August 2015 – 216 pages – Hardback $140.00

Introduction: The Camino de Santiagoin the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Global Views Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez and Annie Hesp

Part 1: Historical and Political Perspectives on the Camino

1. Historical and Modern Signs of "Real" Pilgrims on the Road to Santiago de Compostela Maryjane Dunn

2. Revival of the Medieval Past: Francisco Franco and the Camino de Santiago Lynn Talbot

 3. Whose Caminois it? (Re)defining Europe on the Camino de Santiago Steven Gardner, Carl Mentley, and Lisa Signori

Part 2: Literary and Visual Representations of the Camino

4. Picturing the Camino de Santiagoin Contemporary Pilgrimage Blogs Cristina Ogden

5. Redefining the Nation through the Camino de Santiagoin the Graphic Novel Genre Henri-Simon Blanc-Hoang 6. Two Religions on One Road to Santiago: Polyethnicity and Syncretism on the Camino in Saint-Jacques…La Mecque John K. Moore Jr.

Part 3: Transformations and Identity in the Camino

7. Lost and Found: Materiality and Personal Transformation on the Camino de Santiago Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez

8. The Australian Way: Transnational Flows and the Twenty First Century Camino Paul Genoni

9. The Camino de Santiagoas Global Narrative: Literary Representations and Identity Creation Nicole Rasch

 

International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies

Itineraries, Gaps and Obstacles

Edited by John Eade, Dionigi Albera

Routledge – may 2015 – 208 pages - Hardback: $140.00

1. International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies: Putting the Anglophone Contribution in Its Place Dionigi Albera and John Eade

2. Japanese Studies of Pilgrimage Ian Reader

3. Touching the Holy: Orthodox Christian pilgrimage within Russia Stella Rock

4. Old and New Paths of Polish Pilgrimages Anna Niedźwiedź

5. Pilgrimages in Hungary: Ethnological and Anthropological Approaches Gábor Barna

6. From Religious Folklore Studies to Research of Popular Religiosity: Pilgrimage Studies in German-speaking Europe Helmut Eberhart

7. Studying Jewish Pilgrimage in Israel Nimrod Luz and Noga Collins Kreiner

8. Italian Studies on Pilgrimage. Beyond Folklore towards a National Anthropological Tradition and the International Circulation of Ideas Elena Zapponi

9. From Cryptic to Critique: Early and Contemporary French Contributions to the Study of Pilgrimage Anna Fedele and Cyril Isnart

 

The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics

by Stanley D. Brunn (Editor)

Springer – Feb 2015 – Hardcover - 952,94 €

Volume 1

Part I: Introduction

Part I: Nature, Ethics And Environmental Change

Part III: Sacred Spaces And Places

Volume 2

Part IV: Pilgrimage Landscapes And Tourism

Part V: Education And Changing Worldviews

Part VI: Business, Finance, Economic Development And Law

Volume 3

Part VII: Globalization, Diasporas And New Faced In The Global North

Part VIII: Globalization, Diasporas And New Faced In The Global South

Volume 4

Part IX: Secularization

Part X: Megachurches And Architecture

Part XI: Culture: Museums, Drama, Fashion, Food, Music, Sports And Science Fiction

Part XII: Organizations

Volume 5

Part XIII: Identity, Gender And Culture

Part XIV: Politics, Reconciliation And Advocacy

Part XV: Virtual Worlds And The Visual Media

 

Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

by Ian Reader (author)

Oxford University Press - July 2015 - Paperback  $9.21

1. Introduction: the multiple forms of pilgrimage

2. Examining pilgrimage: forms, types, and interpretations

3. Pilgrimages worldwide: a global and historical outline

4. Motives and means: Asceticism and the package tour

5. Tourism, entertainment, relics, and souvenirs

6. Modern developments, secular sites, and the reshaping of pilgrimage

7. Conclusion: an ever-changing phenomenon

Christian Pilgrimage, Landscape and Heritage: Journeying to the Sacred (Routledge Studies in Religion, Travel, and Tourism)

by Avril Maddrell, Veronica della Dora, Alessandro Scafi, Heather Walton (Author)

Routledge – Jan 2015

1. Introduction: Pilgrimage, Landscape, Heritage Avril Maddrell and Veronica della Dora

2. Theological Perspective on Christian Pilgrimage Heather Walton

Part I: Pilgrimage to the Orthodox East: Meteora

3. Ways of Seeing: The Making of a Holy Landscape of RocksVeronica della Dora

4. Where the Tourist’s Gaze Fades: Performing Landscape and the Sacred in Meteora Veronica della Dora

Part II: Pilgrimage to the Latin West: Subiaco

5. The Topographies of Benedict’s Holy Cave Alessandro Scafi

6. Visiting the Monastery of the Sacro Speco in Subiaco Alessandro Scafi

Part III: Renewing Pilgrimage Practices in the Celtic West: The Isle of Man

7. Contextualising Sacred Sites, Pathways and Shared Heritage: Local History, Ecumenism and National Identity Avril Maddrell

8. Mobilising the Landscape and the Body in Search of the Spiritual: Journeying, Performance and Community Avril Maddrell

9. Conclusion: Pilgrimage, Landscape and Heritage: Intersecting Pathways Avril Maddrell and Veronica della Dora

2015

Spreading the soul of place?

However universal pilgrimages are, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a unique place in the eyes of many.

In december 2014 Jan Peter Margry (University of Amsterdam & Meertens Institute) presented his research on the little camino, the Camino Finisterre, at the Camino Academy (pilgrim/science forum) in The Netherlands. In passing he mentioned other places that try to mimic the camino experience.
Have a look at these US and Korean examples...


Camino del Norte a Chimayo

In 2012 the first organized pilgrims party walked from the Our lady of Guadalupe church in Denver to El Santuario de Chimayo in Northern New Mexico. Following a miner´s route, a Ute indian migration path and a Franciscan missionaries path through forest and paved roads.

View on the website of the Santuario de Chimayo (dec 29, 2014)

Click here for the website of the Santuario.

Click here for the website of a blog on the El Camino del Norte a Chiamyo, which includes a description of the route.


The Wonhyo Trail

More then 1300 years ago the former Korean monk Wonhyo traveled the Korean peninsula. During a storm he stayed in a cave and experienced enlightenment. To honor Wonhyo a trail is in preparation, a trail connecting Gyeongju on the North Gyeongsang Province, to Wonhyo’s cave near Pyeongtaek in the Gyeonggi Province.
Tony McGregor: “Our hope is that the trail will develop and grow into a Korean version of Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago, offering pilgrims an opportunity to explore themselves as they travel by foot across the Korean peninsula,”

View on weblog entry of Tony McGregor on the Wonhyo Trail (dec 29, 2014)

Click here to read more of McGregor on this trail.

View on website for the documentary 'In the footsteps of Wonhyo' (dec 29, 2014)

To watch a documentary on the second part of this pilgrimage click here: In the footsteps of Wonhyo.

The new allure of sacred pilgrimages NYT

Bruce Feiler published an article in The New York Times, dec 20, on sacred pilgrimages.
Wait a minute, wasn't that the guy from the TV series Sacred Journeys these months? Yop, he is. See other topic in this Blog.

View on website New York Times

"As appealing as that destination may be, there’s only one way to achieve it. Get up off your sofa and go."
The complete article can be viewed here.

About four months ago the NYT also published an article on pilgrimage by Rafael Minder: Lifting the Soul, and the Spanish Economy, Too.
"Still, she was philosophical. "It's like life itself." she added, "a mix of pleasant and less pleasant experiences.""

MANIFESTO of VILLAFRANCA del BIERZO regarding the camino

On Dec 14, 2014 the International Fraternity of the Camino de Santiago (FICS) organized an International Forum "The Legacy of Elias Valina" in Villafranca del Bierzo.
Btw, part of the legacy of Elias Valina is the yellow arrow!

To preserve the heritage and experience of the Jacobean pilgrimage participants from all over the world published a manifesto.

Some statements and suggestions:

• The credential is a passport to the camino and it is related to respecting the values of the camino.
• Consider increasing substantially the kilometers required for the Compostela and add the place of 'take-off'.
• Protect the itineraries of the camino, it's heritage, it's trails. This agreement also concerns protection of the visual landscape, the iconic landscapes, the historic/architectural and artistic treasures.
• Also pavement of trails used by pilgrims is prohibited.
• Unify the way-marking of the Camino de Santiago throughout Europe, if possible use the yellow arrow.
• Reorient institutional touristic campaigns to build respect for traditional pilgrimage values.
• Albergues with a traditional and altruistic welcome, attended by volunteer hosts, are the foundation and the soul of the Camino.
• To configure, promote, and support a stable network of albergues and hospitality options for winter pilgrims.

The full document can be downloaded by clicking this line.

The Manifesto of Villafranca del Bierzo has reached Santiago de Compostela and will initiate further discussion on the way.

"The Camino is here for walking and enjoying, not for racing from albergue to albergue."

Click here for La Fraternidad Internacional del Camino de Santiago.

As I left for Santiago

Sacred journeys with Bruce Feiler

PBS is airing a series of six documentaries on pilgrimage in december 2014.
Follow Bruce Feiler as he follows pilgrims looking for meaning and transformation on their journeys to Lourdes, Shikoku, Jerusalem, The Hajj, Kumbh mela and Osun Osogbo.

Bruce Feiler in the Kumbh mela   (picture from website PBS)

The Huffington Post of dec 12, 2014 provides an interview with Feiler as he "offers his personal experience as well as what he learned about the profound act of pilgrimage." Listen to the interview by clicking here.

View on website PBS

More information on the series is available on the website of PBS:
"Pilgrimage today is more alive than ever before. But you can't experience its wonders unless you go."