FYSP 146 - Pilgrimage in Global History

FC SSCI WINT

4 credits
Pilgrims and pilgrimage are central to many cultures. Whether Mecca for Muslims or Graceland for Elvis fans, followers of numerous faiths and cults have long hazarded desert brigands or dingy motels to reach chosen sites of devotion. This course follows their footsteps. Through the theme of pilgrimage, we examine some broader historical processes and networks that have made up our contemporary world, from religious politics to global tourism. We read first-person pilgrim accounts, fictions on votive cultures, and scholarly enquiries into the history and anthropology of pilgrimage to grasp the social, economic, political, and personal implications of ritual mobility.