ABSTRACT

This volume seeks to explore pilgrimage studies as a distinctive sub-field of research, and to define its key methodological approaches and problems. Pilgrimage studies has long been influenced by such academic disciplines as anthropology and this volume considers the new insights that pilgrimage studies can offer to these disciplinary fields. Bringing together experienced pioneers and a younger generation of pilgrimage scholars, the chapters address the directions contemporary pilgrimage research is taking and how it is developing into the future. Covering topics like digital pilgrimage, multi-site pilgrimages, and long-term ethnography, with examples from Europe, the Middle East, and Japan, this is an important resource for all researchers engaging with pilgrimage.

chapter 1|8 pages

Approaching Pilgrimage

Introduction

part I|32 pages

Time and Pilgrimage

chapter 3|18 pages

Twists, Turns and Changing Directions

Reflections on Long-Term Studies on a Japanese Pilgrimage Path

part II|36 pages

Positionality and Experiencing Pilgrimage

part III|34 pages

Multi-site and Multi-role Ethnography and Pilgrimage

chapter 6|17 pages

Researching the Baptism Sites along the Jordan River

A Multi-sited Ethnography of Adjacent Places

part IV|84 pages

Methodological Techniques and Tactics

chapter 9|21 pages

The Visual Anthropology of Pilgrimages

Exploring the Making of Films and Photographs

chapter 11|17 pages

Studying Mecca Elsewhere

Exploring the Meanings of the Hajj for Muslims in Morocco and the Netherlands

chapter 12|12 pages

Afterword

On Multiplying Methods and Expanding the Field