"Models of Pilgrimage: From Communitas to Confluence": Sarah Gingerich

    One of the sources I used for my paper was Bonnie Wheeler’s “Models of Pilgrimage: From Communitas to Confluence”. This source provides a detailed historical and theoretical overview of pilgrimage. Wheeler defines pilgrimage as “...travel with a purpose, travel undertaken as an act of devotion to places considered by the community of believers to be holy.” This source also discusses monastic life and the rules that constrained medieval monks and nuns, limiting pilgrimage for those in these roles. 

    I thought it was very interesting to dive deeper into the general history of pilgrimage and to read about it more in its medieval context. Pilgrimage has evolved so much, and it’s just cool to see how it has changed over time. The definition by Wheeler still appears to be true in practice, but has definitely evolved over time.

Wheeler, Bonnie. “Models of Pilgrimage: From Communitas to Confluence.” Journal of Ritual Studies 13, no. 2 (1999): 26–41. https://www.jstor.org

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