Turner, V & E. Turner (1995) Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture. New York: Columbia University Press.
In this book, the authors look at Christian pilgrimages. They did initially talk about pilgrimage in various religions, but ultimately concentrated on Christianity. They also look into the symbols, ideals and images. Pilgrimages are an important part of religion, which in turn have important social and cultural characteristics. But it isn’t researched often. This book explores Mexican, archaic, Marian and medieval pilgrimages, whilst concentrating on two main thoughts. The first being the historic raise and explanations behind pilgrimages and the second on the symbols and images of pilgrimages. This book takes an anthropological look at pilgrimages, which I find is a big advantage, as it allows a comprehensive analysis.
Symbols are important in pilgrimages, they can be seen as ‘eternal objects’, which are never ending. They hold specific points in culture and social structures (Turner (1995) pp. 245-246). Images hold an significance in pilgrimages. They hold value for the followers but also hold an “unrecognized and unlegitimized social values” (Turner (1995) pp. 101). Followers are seen as being “impregnated by unity…and purified from divisiveness and plurality” (Turner (1995) pp. 257). According to the authors, pilgrimages answer the call of spiritual requirements of people.
I found this book very interesting. It reminded me of my previous studies and helped me remember a lot I had actually forgotten. It was easy to read and easy to understand, but this could have been due to my experience in this field. This book has been valuable and helped with my body of work.
(Turner, 1995; Stewart, G).
Georgina's Body of Work 