Pilgrims: Values and Identities

Values-rich journeys can be described as pilgrimage, spiritual travel, personal heritage tourism, holistic tourism, and valuistic journeys. There are many motivations for undertaking values-rich journeys: the most important including personal values, personal and social identity, life experience, lifestyle, social and cultural influence. The main types of pilgrim journeys are traditional religious or spiritual journeys as well as secular journeys related with the expression of national, communal or personal identity, e.g. the journeys of sport and music fans. The manifestation of personal and social identity has different forms and rituals and constitutes different models of a specific behavior. The journeys are often embraced as potential instruments for life altering experiences. This book presents contributions that address pilgrim motivation, identity and values as they are shaped by the broader sociological, psychological, cultural and environmental perspectives, with a focus on travellers themselves and their inner world through the lens of their pilgrimage. The research presented focuses on the typology of pilgrim journeys as ways in which identity and values are presented to a post-modern consumer society, providing interesting and challenging perspectives on the identity of pilgrims in the 21st century.