Teaching Truth in Third Space': The Use of History as a Pedagogical Instrument at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah

Abstract

While there has been increasing academic interest in the intersections between religion and tourism and the management of religious heritage sites, there has been little written on how these sites are interpreted to visitors and the religious doctrines or worldviews that frame the interpretational content and methods at these sites. Using the case study of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, this paper examines the ways in which religious heritage sites are used by 'religions of salvation' (Riesebrodt 2010: 66), specifically The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to further their salvation-oriented goals. Not only is the 'core business' of religious sites more than just the creation of a 'sense of place' (Shackley 2001a(Shackley , 2001b(Shackley , 2002, but also involves an emphasis on both the maintenance and shifting of religious identities depending on the religious background of the visitor, making religious heritage sites a type of Third Space (Bhabha 1994;Soja 1996).

Religious Events and Destination Competitiveness; Influential Role of Local Culture and Place Identity - Study of Thrissur Pooram in India

“…Through the public performance of sacred rituals and engagement in various kinds of religious and cultural practices which bear deep meaning and sentiments for the associated community, the secular character of the urbanscape of Thrissur city transforms into a sacred territory during the celebration of Thrissur Pooram festival. The expression of profound emotions in the festival attendees reflects their transcendent experience of the space and supports the assertion of scholars identifying religious sites as heterotopias (Shackley, 2002), third spaces (Olsen, 2012), and liminal spaces (Turner, 1973) that exist beyond the material form, constantly evolving between the real and the imaginary and shaped by socially and individually constructed meanings (Belhassen et al, 2008). The present findings suggest that religious festivals contribute to transcending the attendees' spatial experience by blurring the impressions of physical territory and its urban nature by producing a fluid space that predominantly bears sacred imprints.…”

Mediatization of Religion and Its Impact on Youth Identity Formation in Contemporary China

“…Fans now commonly refer to their visits to celebrity birthplaces, tombstones, home addresses, landmarks depicted in popular works, and specific filming locations as pilgrimages. Many researchers argue that, akin to traditional religious pilgrimages, fans reaffirm their identities by traveling to these sacred places, thereby eliciting an emotional response (Olsen 2012b). Consequently, fan pilgrimages based on popular texts An exploration of the Chinese term xinnü 信女, used by fans to refer to themselves as believers, shows the fans' interests do not go beyond the religious figures themselves.…”