Abstract
Pilgrimage instigates relationships between phenomena that produce hierophanies, or sacred, enchanting experiences. In this paper I argue that pilgrimage scholars should focus on the relational qualities of pilgrimage in order to rethink and produce more detailed, sensuous descriptions and analyses of this practice. This can be done by employing “relational approaches,” seen here as perspectives that recognize and prioritize the interconnections among persons, places, things, and substances. I further suggest that focusing on movement, the vitality of places and materials, and the senses is useful in thinking about the relational aspects of pilgrimage. Moreover, archaeologists are well-situated to investigate these phenomena and thus can and should push pilgrimage studies in new directions. I provide a case study of the Emerald Acropolis, an 11th-century Cahokian pilgrimage center. Cahokians traveled to Emerald on certain occasions and, while there, manipulated particular substances—earth and water—in ways that gathered otherworldly powers in affective ways.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 261-283 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Journal of Social Archaeology |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Cahokia
- Emerald Acropolis
- Mississippian culture
- Pilgrimage
- relationality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Archaeology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Rethinking archaeologies of pilgrimage. / Jacob Skousen, B.
In: Journal of Social Archaeology, Vol. 18, No. 3, 01.10.2018, p. 261-283.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Rethinking archaeologies of pilgrimage
AU - Jacob Skousen, B.
PY - 2018/10/1
Y1 - 2018/10/1
N2 - Pilgrimage instigates relationships between phenomena that produce hierophanies, or sacred, enchanting experiences. In this paper I argue that pilgrimage scholars should focus on the relational qualities of pilgrimage in order to rethink and produce more detailed, sensuous descriptions and analyses of this practice. This can be done by employing “relational approaches,” seen here as perspectives that recognize and prioritize the interconnections among persons, places, things, and substances. I further suggest that focusing on movement, the vitality of places and materials, and the senses is useful in thinking about the relational aspects of pilgrimage. Moreover, archaeologists are well-situated to investigate these phenomena and thus can and should push pilgrimage studies in new directions. I provide a case study of the Emerald Acropolis, an 11th-century Cahokian pilgrimage center. Cahokians traveled to Emerald on certain occasions and, while there, manipulated particular substances—earth and water—in ways that gathered otherworldly powers in affective ways.
AB - Pilgrimage instigates relationships between phenomena that produce hierophanies, or sacred, enchanting experiences. In this paper I argue that pilgrimage scholars should focus on the relational qualities of pilgrimage in order to rethink and produce more detailed, sensuous descriptions and analyses of this practice. This can be done by employing “relational approaches,” seen here as perspectives that recognize and prioritize the interconnections among persons, places, things, and substances. I further suggest that focusing on movement, the vitality of places and materials, and the senses is useful in thinking about the relational aspects of pilgrimage. Moreover, archaeologists are well-situated to investigate these phenomena and thus can and should push pilgrimage studies in new directions. I provide a case study of the Emerald Acropolis, an 11th-century Cahokian pilgrimage center. Cahokians traveled to Emerald on certain occasions and, while there, manipulated particular substances—earth and water—in ways that gathered otherworldly powers in affective ways.
KW - Cahokia
KW - Emerald Acropolis
KW - Mississippian culture
KW - Pilgrimage
KW - relationality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054521486&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85054521486&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1469605318763626
DO - 10.1177/1469605318763626
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85054521486
VL - 18
SP - 261
EP - 283
JO - Journal of Social Archaeology
JF - Journal of Social Archaeology
SN - 1469-6053
IS - 3
ER -