Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #427

by Ian Reader

Pilgrimage is found in most religious cultures, with large numbers of sites - from globally renowned places to regional shrines - flourishing historically and in the modern day. Pilgrimage centres around the world, including Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Guadalupe in Mexico, Lourdes in France, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Haridwar in India, and Shikoku in Japan, attract millions of pilgrims annually, while a flourishing 'spiritual tourism' industry has grown to promotethe practice. In the present day, new pilgrimage locations, including 'secular' ones with no official affiliation, such as Graceland, Elvis Presley's house, continue to emerge across the world.In this Very Short Introduction Ian Reader explores the factors that affect how pilgrimage has changed over time, from contemporary international developments, such as mass transportation to changing social attitudes reflected in the motives of pilgrims through the ages. He demonstrates the social and international aspects of pilgrimage, showing how it has become a way of expressing social identity and cultural heritage, as well as being entwined with themes of entertainment andtourism.Reader explores the key issues and themes of pilgrimage through history to the present, looking at its various forms, how people take part, what is learnt from the journeys, and why pilgrimage remains popular in an increasingly secular age.ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Travel, Medieval

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Ian Reader is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Manchester, UK.

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanskelig å forestille seg en bedre kort introbok enn denne.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reader compares and contrasts the ways and motives of pilgrims around the world, from Muslims on hajj to Elvis fans going to “Graceland, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee” [name that tune.] The author’s specialization is Japanese pilgrimages and so trips such as the circuit around Shikoku’s eighty-eight Buddhist temples are well-represented among the examples used. However, he also visits and revisits popular Hindu pilgrimages such as Kumbh Mela and Amarnath, Christian pilgrimages to Lourdes and Santiago de Compostela, and even secular pilgrimages to locations such as the Vietnam War Memorial.

The book consists of six chapters. Chapter one offers a fly-over of the topic in the context of it being a worldwide phenomena. Cultures from around the world engage in similar behavior when it comes to spiritual travel. Chapter two investigates forms, themes, and meaning in pilgrimage, and how they vary across different religions. This helps one define the topic and differentiate pilgrimage from similar activities – to the degree that that can be done. Chapter 3 delves into the pilgrimage as a search for the sacred, and it uses many examples from around the world to consider the varying perspectives.

Chapter 4 reflects upon the differences in modes of transport, motivations, and how the latter influences the former. Obviously, technology has radically changed the face of pilgrimage. There usually remain purists who wish to continue in the old ways (i.e. traveling mostly on foot) and others who’d just as soon use jet airplanes and air-conditioned buses. This leads to conflicts in the pilgrim community where walkers see those who travel in comfort as lacking commitment, and those who travel in comfort may see the old-schoolers as hikers who are more interested in walking than praying.

The penultimate chapter examines pilgrimage as a form of tourism. While it may be considered sacrilegious to some to equate the two activities, they certainly share in common not only the activity of travel but also such behaviors as the collection of souvenirs (e.g. relics, scrolls, and amulets.) The final chapter looks at how pilgrimage has spread into the secular domain with war memorials, nature trails, and the birth or death homes of popular personages from politics or entertainment.

The book contains many monochrome photos and a “further reading” section in the back.

I found this book to be interesting. As a secular traveler who often crosses paths with pilgrims, I was fascinated to gain insight into their head-space and to reflect upon the role that religion and spirituality played in the dawn of travel.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm what's called a secular pilgrim-- I don't follow a strict or particular religious practice as I'm spiritual, leaning towards mostly pagan and yogic combined. I've been intrigued by the concept of a pilgrimage recently as I am an avid traveller and I tend to find votive and magical sites everywhere I go and it's something I really enjoy so I wanted to learn more about what makes a pilgrim? Am I pilgrim? What does pilgrimage mean for different people of differing cultures and faiths?
This short introduction was perfectly digestable and full of information that answers many of my questions. The tone was friendly and inquisitive and full of knowledge-- primarily of Japanese and Buddhist facts which Reader is very passionate about but I wish he'd expanded a little bit more on other forms of pilgrimages, such as those pagan inclination. However overall it was a very captivating little book.

I do love these Oxford University Press books, they are so travel friendly, don't take up much space in your bag and they're so crisp with academic insight into numerous topics.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pilgrimage: a Very Short Introduction compares pilgrimages across cultures, from France, to Japan, to Graceland (the home of Elvis.) Reader is definitely a Japanese specialist, so Japanese pilgrimages are repeatedly emphasized. While explaining and contrasting each unique location, Reader finds commonalities across different cultures, types of pilgrimage, and time periods. He poses and answers questions about the relationship between pilgrimage and tourism and whether the important part is the journey or the destination. The final chapter on secular pilgrimages made me think about the spiritual elements of trips I've made in the past: the obvious being lighting candles in countless Cathedrals and Churches all over the world, but also the less obvious -- from touching 3000-year-old Giant Sequoia Trees to visiting the graves of Shakespeare and Bach.

[Pujitha Padmanabhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Pilgrimage, Ian Reader takes us on a short and interesting journey right from the evolution of ‘pilgrimage’ as a concept, to what modern day pilgrimages have come to be. Throughout the book, the author cites examples (sometimes, drawing from his own personal experiences from his visits) of numerous noted pilgrimage sites across the globe like: Haridwar/Kumbh Mela (India), Lourdes (France), Shikoku (Japan), Santiago de Compostela (Spain). While doing so, he identifies the unifying themes in all these sites, while also narrating broad differences.
It's great that he has managed to cover so many things in less than 150 pages! I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants just about enough information on pilgrimages to stay informed, without too much depth on the subject.

[Gisela Zimmermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader offers an overview of "Pilgrimage as a global phenomenon"(1). He descibes pilgrimages in all cultures and religions, like Santiago in Spain or Shikoku in Japan tno the well-
known secular pilgrimages to Graceland in the USA or Robben Island in South Africa. Reader manages to describe all aspects of pilgrimages from the beginning until today and about
motives, practices and secular pilgrimage sites in a very compact and intelligible form. Pilgrims and future pilgrims should read this Very Short Introduction and
think twice when they condemn other tourists they meet on the pilgrimage routes and sites.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent VSI that treats the phenomenon of pilgrimage in both religious and secular contexts. It approaches the phenomenon not from a specific religious tradition; moreover, it illustrates its claims by citing Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Christian, and secular examples of pilgrimage. It considers topics such as the themes and meanings of pilgrimages, concerns about their monetization, their mythology and “uses” (e.g. such as healing or calling upon aid), and more. Unlike other VSI’s, this one seems to have an argument, although a vague one: pilgrimages are about leaving the ordinary in order to discover a personal truth. Very interesting.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I often find with this series, a very tidy though comprehensive introduction to the topic. I picked this one up as a topic of potential Useful Fodder For Stuff, and it has very much repaid that speculation - I had a lot of thoughts throughout about historic mobility, but also about pilgrimage as personal questing, about the interactions of religion and temporal authority/boundaries, about people being people regardless of time or place or other factors.

[Seppe Boonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit postmodern with the usual stress on diversity and change, but he also gives essentials which all pilgrimages share, explains meanings and trends in/of these phenomena. Worldly aspacts like commerce, transport, tourism, advertisement, etc. are interestingly put in a positive light. Ian Reader writes captivatingly. I'll reread this when I walk my first pilgripmage to better understand the meaning, essence and history of what I'm engaged in.

[Lydia Kophamel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this book for my Pilgrimage class at school and enjoyed it. it gives a broad yet informative overview of what pilgrimage really is, how it’s changed over time and its impact on the environment and tourism industry. the book also gives several in-depth examples of common pilgrimage sites around the world, both religious and secular, making it interesting to learn about these places in other countries and their significance.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 1: Pilgrimage around the world
Chapter 2: Forms, themes, and meanings
Chapter 3: More than miracles
Chapter 4: Practices, motives, and experiences
Chapter 5: Festivity, tourism, and souvenirs
Chapter 6: Secular sites and contemporary developments

[Arend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, though sometimes repetitive. More emphasis on forms of pilgrimage than the anthropological or religious roots of pilgrimage, focusing on commonalities.

[Emily W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pen Pal Reading Challenge: Dewey Decimals 200
Always enjoy a "very short introduction," but this one was especially well-written. I went deeeep down a rabbit hole of Japanese pilgrimages, which touch on two of my obsessions: death and passport stamps.