Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Moufahim M.;Lichrou M.
2019
February
Tourism Management
Pilgrimage, consumption and rituals: Spiritual authenticity in a Shia Muslim pilgrimage
Published
36 ()
Optional Fields
Authenticity Consumption Islam Pilgrimage Rituals Ziyara
70
322
332
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd A critical dimension of pilgrimage is arguably pilgrims' experience, in particular the authenticity of their experience. The aim of the study is to understand how authenticity is evoked in a religious pilgrimage and the relationship between authenticity, rituals and consumption. The research contributes ethnographic insights from a lesser known, yet significant, Muslim pilgrimage called Ziyara-t-Arba'een. In so doing, pilgrimages are conceptualised as a quest for spiritual authenticity, a hybrid form of existential, ideological and objective authenticity. The findings section leads to a discussion of the ways in which spiritual authenticity is realised through rituals and the consumption of texts, material objects and space. The contribution of this paper is threefold: 1) it explores the different dimensions of authenticity in a pilgrimage experience; 2) it examines the role of material culture and ritual consumption in achieving forms of authenticity; and 3) it broadens the understanding of the pilgrimage as a context-bound and culturally specific phenomenon.
0261-5177
10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.023
Grant Details