Women and Pilgrimage (CABI Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Series)

Women and Pilgrimage presents scholarly essays that address the lacunae in the literature on this topic. The content includes well-trodden domains of pilgrimage scholarship like sacred sites and holy places. In addition, the book addresses some of the less-well-known dimensions of pilgrimage, such as the performances that take place along pilgrims' paths; the ephemeral nature of identifying as a pilgrim, and the economic, social and cultural dimensions of migratory travel. Most importantly, the book's feminist lens encourages readers to consider questions of authenticity, essentialism, and even what it means to be a "woman pilgrim." The volume's six sections are entitled: Questions of Authenticity; Performances and Celebratory Reclamations; Walking Out: Women Forging Their Own Paths; Women Saints: Their Influence and Their Power; Sacred Sites: Their Lineages and Their Uses; and Different Migratory Paths. Each section will enrich readers' knowledge of the experiences of pilgrim women. Readers' understanding will be further enhanced by the book's: interdisciplinary nature: the contributors hail from a wide range of disciplines, including Anthropology, Political Science, French, Spanish, Fine Art, and Religious Studies; uniqueness: the text brings together previously scattered resources into one volume; feminist perspective: much of the subject matter utilizes feminist theories and methodologies and argues that further research will be welcome. The book will be of interest to scholars of pilgrimage studies in general as well as those interested in women, travel, tourism, and the variety of religious experiences. Cover Women and Pilgrimage Copyright Contents Dedication Women and Pilgrimage: an Introduction to the Experiential and the Expressive Conclusion References Part I Questions of Authenticity 1 First Class or Coach? Women as Tourists and Pilgrims, 1888–1928 Introduction: the Advent of Touristic Pilgrimages First Class or Coach? Distinguishing between Tourism and Pilgrimage Five Turn-of-the-century First-class Women Pilgrims Women Pilgrims’ Observations and Encounters By Way of Summary: Identifying Pilgrims and Tourists Notes References 2 Romeras, Rameras, and Royals: Female Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago in Medieval and Early Modern Spain Background and History of St. James: Confusing and Contradictory Accounts Overcome by Legend and Folk Belief Rise of Pilgrimage in Europe, Aided by Discoveries, Legends, and Miracle Narratives Narratives of Perfect or “True” Pilgrims Preserved in Ballads and Other Texts Textual Warnings of Pícaros and False Pilgrims Other Cautionary Texts: Fictional Descriptions of Pilgrims with False Motivations Using Sacred Journeys for Multiple Secular Purposes Typologies of Cultural Permissibility for Women Pilgrims Noteworthy Women Pilgrims Concluding Thoughts: Redemption of the Pícara Notes References Part II Performances and Celebratory Reclamations 3 Sacred Queenship: Elizabethan Progress Entertainments and the Memory of Pilgrimage Introduction Medieval Women and Pilgrimage to Marian Shrines The Reformation: Changing Images of the Sacred Royalty and the Sacred Elizabeth as Sacred Healer Elizabethan Progress: Creating Community Sacred Virgin Queen versus Sacred Virgin Mary Conclusion Notes References 4 Feminizing the Camino: Reimagining Pilgrimage for Inclusivity Introduction The Camino and Gendered Violence Sexual Violence at the San Fermín Festival Hemingway’s Legacy in Pamplona Legal and Cultural Reform in Spain Gastronomic and Other Small Festivals A Celebration of Rural Women Celebrating Rosalía de Castro Conclusion Notes References Part III Walking Out: Women Forging Their Own Paths 5 Pilgrimage and Piety: Alternative Paths to the Convent Notes References Part IV Women Saints: Their Influence and Their Power 6 “All you need is Faith”: Sainte Foy, Furta Sacra, and Saint Mary Magdalene Introduction The Creation of Sainte Foy and Her Pilgrimage Sainte Foy’s Reliquary and Its Peculiarities Foy and Her Miracle Stories The Importance of Architectural Detail in Medieval Pilgrimage Mary Magdalene and her Connection to the Sainte Foy Site Accounts of Mary Magdalene’s Presence at Vézelay Beyond Furta Sacra Notes References 7 (Re)Thinking Out Gobnait: Memory and Presence in Folklore and Landscape Introduction Gobnait’s Life and Her Pilgrimage Pathways The Irish Folklore Commission and the Schools Project Details about Gobnait’s Origins and Ancestry Gobnait as a Pilgrim and the Pilgrimage Paths She Took The Influence of Harry Clarke Gobnait and Her Powerful Bees Gobnait’s Vengeful Persona The Salience of Wells Paying the Rounds and Associative Words, Prayers and Practices Description of Ballyvourney Pilgrim Site The Reciprocity at Work at Ballyvourney A Pilgrim Speaks of Inner Peace Conclusion Notes References Part V Sacred Sites, Their Lineages and Their Uses 8 Women Pilgrimage Artists and Their Lineages Introduction: Pilgrimage and Women’s Spiritual Art Pilgrimage as Sensual Aesthetic Form: the Aesthetics of Places and Objects The Artist as Sensual Pilgrim Lineage of Reflection Lineage of Connectivity and Unifying Energies Lineage of Devotion Lineage of Place Lineage of Form Lineage of Presence Lineage of Depicting from the Outside In Lineage of the Personal Conclusion: Woman’s Pilgrimage Art as Legacy Acknowledgements Notes References 9 The Entwinement and Imprint of the Legendary Diviner-Healer Mantsopa and the St. Augustine Priory: the Complexities of Mantsopa Pilgrimages Introduction: the Sites of Lekgalong and Lehaha la Mantsopa (Mantsopa’s Pass and Cave) Who was Mantsopa? Visitors to Modderpoort The Importance of Women Pilgrims at Mantsopa Christianized Influences The Pilgrimage Process The Entwinement of Traditional and Modern Pilgrimage Practices The Annual Rose Cave Sunday Service Conflicts and Contestations among Stakeholders: Pilgrimage Motivations and Differing Layers of Belief Corroborations and Counterpoints Conclusion: Chipping at Sacrality—Flakes of Contention Notes References Part VI Different Migratory Paths 10 “What One Does of Necessity”: 20th-century Irish Women as Seasonal Migrants and Working Pilgrims Introduction Definitions of Pilgrimage The Vicissitudes of Pilgrimage for Women Seasonal Migration in Ireland Migration, Seasonal Flows, and Irish Women Living Conditions of Seasonal Migrant Women in Scotland Body, Mind and Soul Challenges Faced by Migrant Women Conclusion Acknowledgements Notes References Index Back_Cover Women and Pilgrimage presents scholarly essays that address the lacunae in the literature on this topic. The content includes well-trodden domains of pilgrimage scholarship like sacred sites and holy places. In addition, the book addresses some of the less-well-known dimensions of pilgrimage, such as the performances that take place along pilgrims' paths; the ephemeral nature of identifying as a pilgrim, and the economic, social and cultural dimensions of migratory travel. Most importantly, the book's feminist lens encourages readers to consider questions of authenticity, essentialism, and even what is means to be a "woman pilgrim". The volume's six sections are entitled: Questions of Authenticity; Performances and Celebratory Reclamations; Walking Out: Women Forging Their Own Paths; Women Saints: Their Influence and Their Power; Sacred Sites: Their Lineages and Their Uses; and Different Migratory Paths. Each section will enrich readers' knowledge of the experiences of pilgrim women. Readers' understanding will be further enhanced by the book's: · interdisciplinary nature: The contributors hail from a wide range of disciplines, including Anthropology, Political Science, French, Spanish, Fine Art, and Religious Studies; · uniqueness: The text brings together previously scattered resources into one volume; · feminist perspective: Much of the subject matter utilizes feminist theories and methodologies and argues that further research will be welcome. The book will be of interest to scholars of pilgrimage studies in general as well as those interested in women, travel, tourism, and the variety of religious experiences. This collection of essays attempts to take a giant leap forward in terms of broadening what we know about women on the road and the multiple ways they attempt to move through lands not their own. From Maryjane Dunn's opening chapter, which presents formidable voices delivering unequivocal statements about what constitutes the "authentic" pilgrim, through all the chapters that follow, the authors demonstrate how and in what ways pilgrim women have been out and about in the world for a long time. Their presences have been felt in numerous aspects of public life. Most importantly, they have made decisions on their own, expressing themselves via personal statements, artforms, edifices, and inclinations toward mobility A new approach to the study of pilgrimage covering lesser known aspects like humour; performances along pilgrims' paths; the ephemeral nature of identifying as a pilgrim, and the economic, socially and culturally mandated dimensions of migratory travel. The feminist lens encourages readers to consider such questions as authenticity and essentialism.