Pilgrimage and "Communitas": Sarah Gingerich

    Dr. Redick’s “El Camino de Santiago: Pilgrimage in Contemporary Culture” provides a great reflection on the contemporary pilgrimage experience on the Camino de Santiago, and conceptualizes the trail as a transformative “Camino Cauldron” where meaning can be discovered. Although the motives of contemporary pilgrims and those of medieval times are different, they still share some overlap in the fact that they seek to alleviate the feeling of alienation through an extended journey. The act of pilgrimage involves extraordinary discipline, and sharing this discipline with other pilgrims helps them to form strong, spontaneous bonds, which sociologist Victor Turner describes as “communitas”. 

    Although I haven’t been on a pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago, I like to think I have experienced strong, spontaneous bonds like “communitas”. I am very involved in theatre and have had many seasons of long rehearsals with a specific group of people where these connections could have occurred. This semester, I got cast in my first college mainstage production, which required rehearsals from 7-11pm every night. This was a great time, but also a challenging experience, both due to the responsibilities that come with being in a show and the responsibilities of being a student. However, my castmates and I were able to create bonds through that shared experience, and I think that was really powerful! I would love to experience more of what Dr. Redick is talking about on a trail as well.


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