UNESCO & IFITT Summer School – ICT4CulT August 29th – September 9th, 2016
ICT for religious tourism and pilgrimage dr. Silvia De Ascaniis USI – Università della Svizzera italiana (Lugano) UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites
[email protected] ¦ @silvia.deascanis
Some studies and research directions
«Pilgrims in the digital age: a research manifesto»
12/09/2016
Some studies and research directions De Ascaniis, S., & Cantoni, L. (2013). Artistic and religious experiences in online travel reviews on Saint Paul outside the walls (Rome). Proceeding of ICOT 2013, International Conference on Tourism, Lymassol, Cyprus, 5-8 June, pp. 160-173
#3: CONNECT: Increase ownership and promote interpersonal encounters
Some studies and research directions Usability reports on the website: www.viafrancigena.org VIA FRANCIGENA - 1600 Km, from Rome to Canterbury - “way originated from France” - reconsidered as a pilgrimage/touristic route from 1996, thanks to the Confraternity of the Romeans The UNESCO Chair in Lugano is part of the scientific committee of the European Association of Vie Francigene, which promotes VF and other European pilgrimage routes 12/09/2016
Some studies and research directions • Enhancing visitors’ experience at Catholic cathedrals. A map of mobile applications for Italian cathedrals to be submitted to Church, Communication and Culture, Taylor & Francis online • Analysis of the Tweets sent by pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago(St. James’s way), to observe changes in mood • Survey among visitors to Loreto Sanctuary to analyze the use of ICTs before, during and after the visit (ongoing research)
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http://whc.unesco.org/en/religious-sacred-heritage/
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Tourism, Religion & Learning • Tourism as a time of freedom • to cultivate interests • to make cultural experiences
• Religion as a driver of tourism • for worshipping • for knowledge reasons
Culture might become a mediator of religious experience • The visit to a site with religious or sacred connection as a learning experience • for believers, to deeper understand faith • for visitors, to encounter cultures, customs, stories 12/09/2016
Relationships between Tourism, Religion, Learning & ICTs RELIGION
ICT
LEARNING 12/09/2016
TOURISM
Jubilee of Mercy (8.12.2015 - 20.11.2016)
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https://www.google.ch/#q=jubilee+of+mercy+review
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Religious tourism The focus is on the destination, which is particularly meaningful for a certain religion need for KNOWLEDGE and CULT e.g. Wailing Wall (Israel) for Jewesh
e.g. Amritsar (India) for Sikhs 12/09/2016
e.g. Sagrada Familia (Spain) for Christians
Spiritual tourism The focus is on the internal search need for MEANING not necessarily related to religion often the «seeker» does not know what s/he is looking for ex. More than 20 app s to facilitate spiritual experiences in India!
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Pilgrimage The focus is on the path, which has a cathartic funtion; it a mobile manifestation of devotion if supported by a religious belief ASCETIC need
Hajj, pilgrimage Maha Kumbh to La Mecca Mela, Hindu festival
Pilgrimage • In the ancient times, it was driven by three ideas: God reveals himself especially in certain places God reveals himself especially in certain circumstances in order to receive benevolence (health, peace, help, etc.), it needs to go to those places in those circumstances • A universal human experience, that is the quest for life meaning and roots.
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Itinerarium Egeriae / Peregrinatio Atheriae • Considered the 1st travel diary • Written in Latin around 380 d.C. • The author is Egeria or Eteria, probably a cultured noble woman • Describes in details a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
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Pilgrimage • The main pilgrimage destinations in Christian tradition: Jerusalem = p. to God Saint Peter in Rome = p. to the centre of Christianity Santiago de Compostela = p. to the tomb of a Saint Mount Saint Angel (Apulia) and Mont-Saint-Michel (France) = p. to the apparition place of an angel • “Europe was born in pilgrimage and its mother tongue is Christianity" [Goethe] = p. as a unifying and integration engine of Europe • Pilgrims as cultural melting pot
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Religion & culture Religion represents and influences our way of cenceiving life, which in turn moulds our cultural tangible and intangible heritage.
Faith tends to become culture Some examples: Religion and art: works of art are manifestations of faith, hospitality, charity
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Religion & culture Religion and eno-gastronomy: - conviviality = cum vivere - company = cum panis
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Religion & culture Religion and music
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Tourism to religious and sacred sites as an opportunity for visitors ... To discover and remember the past artistic and cultural heritage as «time machine» To convey a sense of territory sacred art is disseminated within the territory To understand cultural specificities original functions and sustainability To promote a process of «cultivation» via personal growth, through exchange and dialogue
... as well as for tourism related institutions and professionals 12/09/2016
«Remember, we are but travelers here.» [Epitaph on the tomb of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Sydney, Australia]
dr. Silvia De Ascaniis USI – Università della Svizzera italiana (Lugano) UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites
[email protected] ¦ @silvia_deascanis
