The Sacred Journeys: Pilgrimage and Beyond Project: 2nd Global Meeting, Oxford 2015
Call for Presentations:
The Sacred Journeys: Pilgrimage and Beyond Project: 2nd Global Meeting
Friday 3rd July – Sunday 5th July 2015
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom
300 word proposals should be submitted by Friday 13th March 2015 to Rob Fisher: sj2@inter-disciplinary.net
Proposal Themes:
5. Secular Pilgrimage:
Major secular pilgrimage sites, such as to Abbey Road in London, or to Elvis Presley’s home ‘Graceland’, or Jim Morrison’s (The Doors) grave site in Paris, attract astonishing numbers of ‘pilgrims’. What are the similarities and differences between sacred and secular pilgrimages? More and more we are living in a ‘global village’ and the ‘pilgrimage in my front room’ phenomenon is facilitated by video and satellite links. These changes raise the question: must pilgrimages, whether sacred or secular, always involve a physical journey ‘in league’ with others? Virtual or alternative pilgrimages are important topics for consideration; so, too, are related online experiences that recreate the pilgrimage or tourism experience in a virtual world.
In light of our broad exploration, and these new directions, we would also welcome proposals that might take into consideration the following:
* New definitions of sacred and secular pilgrimage, and the question of authenticity.
* How historical perspectives on the meaning(s) of pilgrimages and motives for travel are changing over time.
* The metaphor of ‘the journey’ as explored by writers, artists, performers and singers, including humanists, agnostics, atheists and musicians.
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/probing-the-boundaries/persons/sacred-journeys/call-for-presentations/
http://nsrn.net/2015/01/29/cfp-pilgrimage-to-the-heart-of-the-sacred-the-sacred-journeys-pilgrimage-and-beyond-project/
