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K2) (Over) Tourism And Tolkien’S Doors Of Durin: Challenges And Opportunities For St Edward’S Local Parish Church, Ruth Dowson, Karen Wellman

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper considers the impacts of overtourism on the local parish church in the English Cotswolds that allegedly inspired Tolkien’s Doors of Durin (Lord of the Rings), and which was also the location of the ending of the English Civil War in the 17th Century. As a convenient stopping place for coaches, the picturesque village of Stow-on-the-Wolds has numerous tea shops; its unique historical and literary connections have made St Edwards Parish Church into a destination for approximately 200,000 visitors a year (the equivalent of ten coaches every day). This research project assesses the visitors’ footprint: demographics; where they come …

J1) Reorienting The Pilgrim-Tourist Dichotomy, Daniel H. Olsen

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Over the past decade, the pilgrim–tourist dichotomy, originally articulated by Smith (1992), has come under sustained scrutiny, particularly in light of postmodern critiques that problematize rigid dualisms and emphasize the fluidity of personal identity. Scholars have long debated the usefulness of this binary framework. On one hand, some have sought to refine the dichotomy by inserting additional categories along a spectrum, attempting to capture the nuances between pilgrims and tourists. On the other hand, many critics have dismissed the model’s analytical utility entirely, often without offering a concrete alternative to understand the distinctions between these two types of travelers.

This …

J2) Whose Sacredness? A Systematized Review Of Theoretical Grounding And Social Representation In Tourism Studies, Ana Maria Candell Saldarreaga, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper presents a critical and systematized literature review of how sacred spaces and sites are conceptualized within tourism studies. Although research increasingly engages with religious, spiritual, heritage, and secular sites, the concept of 'sacredness' is frequently employed without explicit definition or consistent theoretical grounding, often leading to an analytical ambiguity between traditional devotion and contemporary heritage consumption. Consequently, the central question this study addresses is: In what ways is tourism scholarship conceptualizing sacrality, and what is being overlooked in the process. To address this, the study examines dominant disciplinary perspectives, the types of spaces analysed, and the positioning of …

I3) The Apparitions Of Notre Dame Du Lac (Our Lady Of The Lake) In Togo: Or The Roman Church's Strategy In Africa, Pierre Fournié, Henri Dou

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

"Our Lady of the Lake. Mother of Mercy”, reads the inscription on the statue of Virgin Mary. Overlooking Lake Togo, visible from many points within the Marian shrine, it symbolizes the devotion that illuminates the site since its inauguration in November 1973. The weakest, the poorest, those who suffer come here seeking the care and protection. Since the Virgin was seen by villagers above the waters in 1971, and the visit of Pope John Paul II consecrating the place in 1985, the sanctuary welcomes every year on the shores of Lake Togo, thousands of believers, faithful, curious people, but also …

I2) Unlocking The Potential Of Pilgrimage Tourism For Post War Tourism Recovery: Evidence From Tigray, Ethiopia, Asefash Dejine Asefash Ayallew, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This study examines the role of pilgrimage tourism for supporting post conflict tourism recovery in Tigray, Ethiopia, with particular focus on the pilgrimage site of Saint Mary Axum Zion in the historic city of Axum. The region possesses rich religious and cultural heritage that has historically attracted large number of pilgrims and visitors.

The need for this study arises from the devastating Tigray war (2020–2023), which resulted the destruction of religious sites, looting of artifacts, collapse of tourism services and loss of livelihoods connected to the sector. However, despite these challenges several pilgrimage destinations have continued as important point of …

J3) The Autopoiesis Of Pilgrimage Tourism: How Cruise Passengers Self-Organise Transformational Meaning In Mass Tourism, Taja Macek, Tadeja Jere Jakulin

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Modern cruise tourism presents a theoretical paradox for the Mediterranean basin. Every year, millions of passengers sail along maritime routes that follow ancient pilgrimage routes. They head towards Rome, the Holy Land, and the coastal approaches to Lourdes, Santiago, and Montserrat. All this takes place within one of the most operationally regulated and commercially standardised forms of mass tourism. Even within this structural rigidity, travellers regularly report profound personal transformation, spiritual encounters, and meaning-making that are strikingly reminiscent of traditional pilgrimage narratives (Collins-Kreiner, 2010; Olsen & Timothy, 2006). This discrepancy between the system's design and the individual's experience poses a …

I1) Ancient Pilgrimage Routes As Tools For Durable Territorial Development: Insights From The Camino De Santiago And The Via Francigena, Maria Laura Gasparini

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is a practice common to all major religions, involving a journey undertaken for spiritual or religious purposes towards a sacred site (Smith, 1992). Considered a forerunner of modern tourism (Di Giovine & Elsner, 2016; pilgrimage today is experiencing a notable phase of rejuvenation (Collins-Kreiner, 2016), increasingly marked by personal quests for meaning and spirituality (Trono, 2015). Beyond its religious and spiritual dimension, pilgrimage has been revitalised globally as a form of outdoor and slow tourism. The growing development of both historical and contemporary routes has captured the attention of policymakers, who increasingly recognise their potential for fostering local development, …

Enhancing Research Communication With Visual Tools, Sonya Fogg

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Understand the role of visual communication in medical research. Distinguish between data visualizations, infographics, and visual abstracts. Identify best practices and some resources and tools for creating effective visuals.

From Interpretation To Experience: Narrative As A Space Of Encounter With The Sacred In Religious Tourism, Tomasz Duda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

No abstract provided.

H3) "Between Paths And Beliefs: Religious Tourism As A Tool For Cultural Understanding And Social Transformation", Maria Angelica Alvarez Orozco, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

From the beginning of humanity, walking has been the way humankind has regained its equilibrium, creating a natural connection towards the path and what it represents. Pilgrimage was the first form of tourism to emerge thousands of years ago; in fact, the development of tourism cannot be understood without understanding the practice of pilgrimage since ancient times.

Therefore, this ongoing research, entitled "Between Paths and Beliefs: Religious tourism as a tool for cultural understanding and social transformation," aims to delve into the understanding of pilgrimage as a religious tourism itinerary that contributes to the transformation of individuals through travel. Through …

G4) Polish Pilgrimages In The Holy Year (Jubilee 2025): Structure, Scales And Directions, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka, Mohammed Jabar Yaqub

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Jubilee 2025 created a framework for intensified religious mobility in Europe and beyond. According to Vatican sources, more than 33 million pilgrims participated in Jubilee-related events. Official statistics are not yet available for all Jubilee celebrations. However, data from the Jubilee of Youth indicate that between 12,000 (official registrations) and approximately 20,000 (ecclesial estimates) participants came from Poland, placing Polish pilgrims among the most numerous foreign national groups present in Rome during this event.

Focusing on the Polish case, this paper analyses pilgrimage mobility during Jubilee 2025 through a multiscalar lens. While Rome represented the most symbolic global destination, Polish …

G2) Pilgrimage As Biographical Resource: A Process-Based Typology Of Camino De Santiago Pilgrims, Andreas Braun

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Research on the Camino de Santiago has predominantly classified pilgrims along single dimensions: by motivation before departure, by the type of experience encountered on the road, or by the meaning derived from the journey (Cohen, 1979; Brumec et al., 2023a). What has rarely been attempted is a typological approach that treats the full biographical trajectory from departure through experience and change to return as an integrated unit of analysis.

This article develops such a process-based typology. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 588 open-ended written responses from German-speaking Camino pilgrims, it reconstructs six ideal-typical biographical configurations following the method of …

G3) Does A More Physically Demanding Pilgrimage Bring More Spirituality And Closeness To Faith, Jaffer Idris, Mohammed Jabar Yaqub

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is frequently associated with bodily hardship, often interpreted as a pathway to deeper spiritual transformation. This abstract examines whether physically challenging pilgrimages generate greater spiritual benefit than less demanding journeys, drawing on scholarship from religious studies, sociology, and pilgrimage tourism research. Historically, many traditions frame pilgrimage as an embodied practice involving endurance, sacrifice, and discipline. Within this framework, physical exertion can function as ritualized effort that encourages humility, reflection, and detachment from everyday routines. Scholars drawing on theories of liminality argue that demanding journeys intensify pilgrims’ awareness of vulnerability and transition, thereby supporting experiences of meaning, renewal, and transcendence …

G1) Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage In A Global Future World, Darius Liutikas

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper examines the evolving intersection between societal development and sacred mobility, focusing on how emerging technologies, as well as cultural and environmental changes, are reshaping religious and spiritual travel in the 21st century. As societal transformations become increasingly embedded in cultural, religious, and touristic practices, it is essential to understand how these changes are transforming the ways individuals plan, experience, and interpret pilgrimages and other forms of religious mobility. The paper begins with foundational concepts of religious travel and valuistic journeys, situating contemporary developments within broader theoretical frameworks of faith, mobility, and meaning-making.

Building on this foundation, the paper …

H2) Governance At Religious/Cultural Tourism Destination Sites, Dino Bozonelos

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A series of global factors have led scholars to renewed research into tourism governance, including the lingering effects of the pandemic, overtourism, quality of life issues, sustainability of tourism destination sites (WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024; Vargas-Sánchez, 2023). In addition, there has been a gradual shift in approach to tourism policy literature from the notion of government to that of governance (Hall, 2012; Bramwell and Lane, 2012; Jamal and Camargo, 2018; Piva, et al, 2019; Bozonelos, 2023). Thus, governance is a central issue in tourism. Governance is described as the “act of governing”, or a focus on the …

H1) The Communicative Dimension Of The Religious Event In The Event Management Of Contemporary Culture, Leticia Arráez

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper addresses the renewed resurgence of religious spirituality in contemporary culture and its implications for the management and communication of institutional religious events. As Hoover (2025) observes, “individuals today construct identity and meaning through practices of cultural consumption”, prompting a reappraisal of the religious event as a transformative experience. Drawing on scholarship in religious communication and event management, alongside documents of the Catholic Church’s Magisterium, the study conceptualizes the religious event as a process that offers transcendence attuned to contemporary cultural codes. Within this framework, events in public spaces or along pilgrimage routes emerge as polyhedral realities where the …

Toward Professionalization: Insights From Sign Language Interpreters In Vietnam, Anh P. Doan

Journal of Interpretation

This study examines how sign language interpreters in Vietnam perceive the professionalization of their field and the strategies they propose for establishing it as a recognized profession. Despite growing demand for communication access, sign language interpreting in Vietnam remains an emerging field with limited institutional infrastructure and no formal interpreter education programs. Data were collected through an online qualitative survey of 28 hearing interpreters working in sign language interpreting across Vietnam. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes in interpreters’ experiences and perspectives. Findings show that many interpreters enter the field through informal pathways such as community …

Sign Language Interpreting In Legal Settings: A Survey Of The Field, Lynsey H. Lawrence, Lori Whynot

Journal of Interpretation

This study is the first to investigate the prevalence and variety of legal contexts where ASL-English interpreters work in the United States. Effective interpreting service ensures that deaf individuals’ civic and constitutional rights are protected when they engage in the U.S. legal system. It sought to understand the current landscape of legal interpreting practice by ASL-English interpreters to better inform professional training and allocation of resources. There is a severe, national shortage of legally qualified sign language interpreters and a need for regular educational pathways and professional development to train generalist interpreters in specialized legal settings. An online survey was …

The Problem With People: Signed Language Interpreter Disposition Match And Attrition, Dawn M. Wessling

Journal of Interpretation

In the United States, communication access is a legislated right for Deaf people in many settings; however, recent data suggest that the number of signed language interpreters does not meet current service demand. This multiple‑case study contributes to understanding interpreter attrition by examining how disposition mismatches between novice interpreters and more experienced co‑interpreters influence early exit from the field. Attrition among novice interpreters may exacerbate demand–supply imbalances and contribute to persistent shortages in interpreting services.

This study draws on applied and organizational psychology frameworks, specifically attraction, selection, and attrition (ASA) theory and person–organization fit (P–O fit). Using these theoretical lenses, …

Teachers’ Awareness Of Family Engagement In Multilingual Education, Sedighe Zamani Roodsari

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This study investigated public school teachers’ awareness of family engagement as a linguistic and cultural resource for multilingual students. Multilinguals are typically described as individuals who can communicate in more than one language, with English not being their native language, and their linguistic choices are influenced by societal norms and systems (Šifrar Kalan et al., 2024; Wei, 2008). Preparing pre-service teachers to enhance opportunities for multilingual students remains a critical need in teacher education programs, as they strive to move beyond monolingual ideologies in their teaching practices (Cárdenas Curiel et al., 2024; Kim & Choi, 2020; Williams & Ewing, 2019). …

The Meme Event: Memefication, Memory-Making And Political Resistance In The Biafra Digital Discourse, Chimaobi Dick Onwukwe

Theses - ALL

In this thesis, I examine the Biafran digital commemoration on May 30th every year—Biafra Commemoration Day. Specifically, I examine how the Biafran digital commemorative culture functions as memorialization and political action. Drawing on theoretical reserves from modern meme studies and performance studies, I propose a theory of “meme event”—a coordinated digital practice that encompasses not just memetic content but the larger ecology of its creation, circulation, strategic timing (May 30th), and strategic deployment. The rallying slogan “We don’t die, we multiply” serves as the anchor around which the meme event revolves, circulating both memetic content and non-meme posts. This theoretical …

The Strange Case Of Family: How The Dual Character Is Represented In 2025 American Horror Films, Camila Flores

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the representation of dual-role characters in contemporary American horror cinema through a qualitative textual analysis of three 2025 horror films: The Monkey (Osgood Perkins), Sinners (Ryan Coogler), and Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro). While dual or doubled characters have historically been analyzed through psychoanalytic frameworks centered on the ego, repression, and identity fragmentation, this study argues that recent horror films move beyond the traditional “double as self” narrative. Instead, these films position dual-role characters within broader social, cultural, and familial contexts, emphasizing how doubling reflects generational trauma, collective memory, and systems of oppression. Guided by Stuart Hall’s theory …

The Effect Of Narrative Advocacy Messaging On Perceived Csa Authenticity: The Mediating Role Of Narrative Transportation, Christine Eunseol Park

Theses - ALL

This study examines whether narrative advocacy messaging can enhance perceived authenticity in corporate social advocacy by increasing narrative transportation, and whether brand–issue justification strength affects this process. Using a 2 (advocacy message format: narrative vs. non-narrative) × 2 (brand–issue justification strength: strong vs. weak) between-subjects experiment with 198 U.S. adults, participants viewed a fictitious denim brand’s advocacy advertisement for immigrant rights. Narrative messaging increased transportation, transportation positively predicted perceived authenticity, and transportation mediated the effect of narrative format on authenticity. The results also revealed a competitive mediation pattern: narrative messaging produced a positive indirect effect through transportation but a negative …

From Hot Dog Soup To Wine Pairing: Exploring Taste & Palate Development Through America's Latchkey Generation, Gabrielle Reagan

Theses - ALL

This thesis interrogates how tastes and palates develop across a lifespan through the lens of America’s latchkey generation. As an analytic, this generation—raised amid a rising availability of ultra processed foods, declining culinary skill transfer, and an uptick in both divorce rates and women in the workforce—is crucial for understanding the palate as a site where corporate capture and individual agency intersect. It asks: What broadens palate development, what limits it, and what conditions support or hinder its evolution over time? How might the reintroduction of culinary literacy broaden palate development and how do gender and pleasure play a role …

Reimagining Chinese Folk Toys In Contemporary Life Through Illustration And Toy Design, Huimin Huang

Theses - ALL

This research explores how traditional Chinese folk toys can be reinterpreted through contemporary illustration and toy design. The research subjects are cloth tigers, fish lanterns and clay dolls. These three respectively carry cultural meanings as protection, celebration and happiness. With the changes in modern lifestyles, these handmade toys have gradually withdrawn from daily life and are more often preserved as cultural heritages. This article focuses on how to bring these traditional cultural elements back into contemporary life through visual narrative and product design. This project takes the seven-year-old girl, named Nannan, as the core character. She is dressed in traditional …

Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Keaktifan Pelaporan Bahaya K3 Pada Pekerja Pelabuhan Batu Bara: Studi Cross-Sectional, Samuel Adi Kristiawan, Dewi Puspito Sari, Nur Ani, Wartini Wartini

National Journal of Occupational Health and Safety

Active hazard reporting is a key indicator in preventing workplace accidents and strengthening safety culture, particularly in high-risk industries such as coal port services. This study aimed to analyze internal and external factors associated with active hazard reporting among workers in the coal port services industry. A quantitative cross-sectional study with total sampling was conducted involving all workers (N = 130). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring accident history, unsafe actions, unsafe conditions, supervisor support, performance appraisal, risk level, and hazard reporting activity. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed using the Chi-Square test. The results showed that 66.2% …

From Maps To Meadows: Ecologically Literate Zoning And The Regeneration Of Wildlife Habitats, Jonathan Rosenbloom

Cleveland State Law Review

For more than a century, zoning has shaped the American landscape, often at the expense of wildlife and ecosystems. Rooted in legal doctrines that treated animals as property and nature as a raw material, zoning codes have fragmented habitats, erased migration corridors, and accelerated biodiversity loss. At the same time, federal protections are narrowing, leaving critical gaps in environmental governance. This Article argues that local governments possess both the authority and the obligation to respond. By embedding ecological principles into zoning—through conservation districts, wildlife corridor protections, wetland buffers, pollinator protections, dark skies, wildlife fencing, habitat restoration, and others—municipalities can transform …

Exploring Grit As A Contributing Factor In Social Work Retention Following Burnout, Denise Rice-Prior

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

From Regionalism To Continentalism: Lessons From Ecowas For The Implementation Of Afcfta., Michael Agbo

Theses - ALL

Abstract: This thesis examines the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a test for understanding Africa’s continental economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It argues that the persistent failures of state-led integration, in this matter, the ECOWAS, from the repeated inability to roll out a single currency for trade within West Africa to the deliberate infiltration of France and other Western capitalist interests in the economic lives of the people of West Africa, are not just incidental failures of political will or technical implementation setbacks. They are consequences of building Pan-Africanism and integration efforts …

Preserving The Family In The Globalized Era: Explaining State Discouragement Of Women’S Rights And The Gap Between Law And Family Realities In Tajikistan, Ivy Alexandra Raines

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation is guided by a two-part research question, which begins by asking why Tajikistan exhibits low levels of gender equality within the family despite strong international commitments and a formally secular legal framework. The second question builds on the first by asking why a state that offers legal guarantees in line with its international commitments, as outlined by Article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), invests significant energy in discouraging divorce rather than in safeguarding women’s rights that would support their ability to leave harmful marital situations. Employing qualitative discourse …