Sacred Journeys 12th Global Conference: Canberra, Australia

June 3-6, 2025. Venue: Australian Center for Christianity and Culture, Ngunnawal Country. Sponsored by the Indiana University Events and Tourism Institute (ETI), in partnership with the Sacred Journeys Project, and Réseau québécois pour les études pèlerines/ Quebec Network for Pilgrimage Studies, Laval University. Hosted by Rev’d Cameron West, Defence Anglicans, Australia.

Call for Papers

Hundreds of millions of people embark annually on pilgrimages with numbers steadily increasing. Pilgrimage is one of the most ancient practices of humankind and is associated with a great variety of religious and spiritual traditions, beliefs and sacred geographies. As a global phenomenon, pilgrimage facilitates interaction between diverse peoples from countless cultures, occupations, and walks of life. In the 12th Global Conference, we will explore pilgrimage’s personal, interpersonal, intercultural, and interconfessional dimensions. This includes similarities and differences in the practice in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, and other traditions, as well as secular pilgrimage. The impact of the internet and globalization, pilgrimage as protest, and pilgrimage and peace building, among others, are all topics of interest, as are the concepts of the internal pilgrimage and the journey of self-discovery. Other topics include: (1) pilgrimage and the marketplace (2) the metaphor of the journey as explored by writers, artists, performers, and singers, including humanists and agnostics (3) pilgrimage and ‘miracles’ and the related topic of thanksgiving, and (4) ‘dark’ pilgrimages (5) the use and misuse of the term pilgrimage. Also of interest are pilgrimage and decolonization, pilgrimage and nationalism/militarism, Indigenous pilgrimage, and pilgrimage towards healing and reconciliation.

Submitting Your Abstract

Abstracts (300 words) should be submitted by January 15, 2025 to:

Ian McIntosh, Indiana University Indianapolis: imcintos@iu.edu

Chadwick Co Sy Su, University of the Philippines Manila: ccsysu@post.upm.edu.ph

The following information must be included: Author(s), Affiliation, Email address, Title, Keywords

Evaluating Your Proposal

Abstracts addressing the conference themes will be double-blind peer reviewed and you will be notified of a decision no later than February 28, 2025. If accepted, you will be asked to register online. The registration fee is $250 US. For students, seniors, and observers the fee is $150. Grants are available in special circumstances.

Publishing Your Work

Submitting a draft paper of no more than 7000 words by 15 May, 2025 is recommended if you intend to publish. We have an established linkage with the International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage. If there are sufficient papers on a single theme or group of themes, we can consider a book proposal to CABI or Peter Lang.

Additional Information. Visit the Sacred Journeys website at www.theCN.com/sj2014 for details on past conferences, publications, and testimonials.