Poutnictví, nebo turismus? Přehodnocení náboženských a sekulárních cest za nevšedností

Abstract

The essay deals with the relationships among pilgrimage, travelling, ethnography, tourism and other forms of mobility. I argue that it is not useful to distinguish strictly between the categories of pilgrimage and tourism. Furthermore, I try to challenge the boundaries between religious and secular motion to attain more complex view of the matter. I utilize examples from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy; San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala; Mariazell, Austria; and the Viennese palace of Albertina to explore the multidimensionality of the subject and simultaneously to depict its similarities. The journeys to the extraordinary, unusual or exceptional experiences share some common aspects such as the power of metanarratives or the effect of psychosocial reinforcement. Here I focus on how the images and discourses are culturally constructed and used by pilgrims, tourists and travellers. Finally, I emphasize that the journeys provide psychic strengthening and social capital to the actors.