Religion and place attachment: A study of sacred places

Abstract

In this paper we claim that religion can play an important role in place attachment and present a conceptualization of it. We provide an understanding of the role of place in the experience of religious place attachment, describing in detail place, design, aesthetics, and special characteristics that facilitate devotion. Next, we describe how attachment to place is learned through the process of socialization involving rituals, use of artifacts, story telling, and place visits. We argue that there is an active socializing component to religious place attachment in addition to the experiential one. We conclude with a brief discussion integrating the complex issues of religion, place, identity, and attachment. r

Finisterre: being and becoming a myth-related tourist destination

“…The imaginary significance of a myth serves, at least, two functions: additional meaning is created for the place, and the product develops based on tourism (Salazar, 2012), because it is interpreted individually. Furthermore, Mazumdar and Mazumdar (2004) argue that narratives are important in the socialisation of the place and help to teach about, explain and clarify the significance of a specific place. According to them, there are also (hierarchical) relations in the category of myth-related places, just as there are regarding other places.…”

“…They argue that a mythical narrative with sacred elements increases the possibilities of creating a total experience involving all the senses. A believer sees the holy places, hears the holy sounds, brushes past holy artefacts, eats special food and smells particular smells (Mazumdar & Mazumdar, 2004). Lee (2012), drawing on Hutcheon (2003), describes the (mythical) narrative as a script in which the tourist decides on the angle and perspective adopted in his/ her understanding of the place.…”

“…On the other hand, from a believer's perspective, Loch Ness is associated with a lake monster, Roswell with UFOs, Santiago de Compostela with James the Apostle and Lourdes and Fátima with Marian apparitions. Believers are attracted by such place-related phenomena in a way nonbelievers are not (Mazumdar & Mazumdar, 2004). Knowledge about the myth and its constructed visibility at the place allow visiting tourists to relate to the myth.…”

Spatiality of Two Urban Religious Spaces in Seoul: A Case Study of Myeong-dong Cathedral and Bongeun Buddhist Temple Precincts

“…In addition, these religions have distinct values that are evident in the various doctrines, rites, architecture, music, and arts of the country (Hancock and Srinivas, 2008). Religious space reflects religious doctrine and symbolism in particular, such that each space has its own religious spatiality that embraces the region, society, culture, and historical background of communities (Hervieu-Léger, 2002; Mazumdar and Mazumdar, 2004;Brace, et al, 2006;Stump, 2008).…”

Sanctifying Ethnic Memory and Reinforcing Place Attachment: Cultural Identity, Sacred Place, and Pilgrimage in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan

“…While there is a growing body of literature on place attachment (Mazumdar 2000;Hidalgo and Hernandez 2001;Mazumdar and Mazumdar 2004;Kyle et al 2004;Manzo 2005), or "the connection and desire people have for particular places" (Mazumdar 2005), few studies have explored the multigenerational bonds that often exist between long-established immigrant groups and former ethnic enclaves. The point is that people often "make a ritual pilgrimage to lost enclaves to remember and relive their collective past" (Mazumdar et al 2000,320).…”