Local Identities and Transnational Cults within Europe

Edited by Fiorella Giacalone and Kevin A. Griffin, PhD

Hardback

July 2018

9781786392527

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$65.90

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Local-level pilgrimages, when based on strong expressions of faith, can have a much wider local, regional and international appeal. It has been estimated that pilgrims and religious tourists number around 330 million per year, meaning development of these faith identities can help drive destination visitation and regional development. This book explores the central role of ordinary people in the popularization of faith-based practices, thus illustrating religious tourism as an expression of cultural identity.

Focusing on the interrelationship of cultural groups and the overall formation of culture and society, this book:

- Uses a range of multidisciplinary, sociological and ethnographic studies to illustrate the evolution of pilgrimage sites and saints.
- Includes practical case studies and illustrations of religious tourism and pilgrimage development from a variety of international perspectives.
- Provides a selection of discussion questions for each chapter, encouraging readers to engage with further study and investigation of these important issues.

An invaluable review of cultural identity and faith, this book delivers to scholars, students and local policy makers a collection of current perspectives on the growth, development and evolution of faith practices surrounding contemporary and historical sites and saints.

Part 1: From Local to International, the Development of Devotion
1: Introduction: Local Identity and Transnational Cults
2: Continuity from Local Cult to ‘Accepted’ Ritual
3: Developing Pilgrimage Itineraries: The Way of St Francis in Umbria as Case in Point
4: Pilgrimage, Religious Tourism and Heritage in Calabria
5: Fighting for the Saint: Ritual Rivalries in Traditional Pilgrimages

Part 2: Popular Pilgrimage Development
6: Chinese Migrations and Pilgrimages around Prato (Italy) and Wenzhou (China)
7: Globalizing Romani Culture: The Pilgrimage to the Sea in Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (France)
8: The Cult of Señor de los Milagros of Peruvians in Italy
9: Cultural Diversity in a Local French Pilgrimage
10: Mixing Sport and Religion in the Landes Area of France
11: An Ethnology of the Foreign Traveller to the Shrine of St Nicholas of Bari, Italy

Part 3: Focus on Saint Rita
12: Healing Tourists with Religion: Saint Rita’s Cult in Poland
13: A Transnational Cult: St Rita of Cascia
14: Saint Rita of Cascia: An Evolving Devotion in Dublin’s Inner City
15: Conclusion
16: Discussion Questions

Fiorella Giacalone

Fiorella Giacalone is an Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology in the Department of Political Science, University of Perugia (Italy). She has taught at the universities of Florianopolis (Brazil), Valladolid (Spain), Paris, and Marrakech (Morocco). She has published 7 books and 70 essays in books and Italian and foreign scientific reviews.

Kevin A. Griffin, PhD

Dr. Kevin Griffin, MA, PhD. Having studied teaching then tourism organization and historic settlement, I worked in a number of Geography Departments in the Dublin / Kildare area. Since 2001 I have worked at the DIT where I am actively involved in teaching and researching a broad range of tourism topics with particular specialism in both heritage and sustainable tourism. Editor in Chief, International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, International Journal of Tour Guiding Research, and International Journal of Islands Research. Series Editor, CABI Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Book Series. My main areas of academic interest include: Tourism and Sustainability / Environmental Issues, Heritage Tourism, Religious Tourism / Pilgrimage, Social Tourism, Teaching Methodologies and Tourism Local History / Heritage.

Chapter 1