Spalding Symposium on Indian Religions

We are pleased to announce a call for papers for the 49th Spalding Symposium, on the theme of 'Pilgrimage in the Religions of South Asia', to be held in person at Cardiff University, Wales, between the 19th and 21st April 2024. This symposium aims to bring together scholars from various disciplines (e.g., anthropology, archaeology, art history,religious studies, and textual studies) to share a dialogue on diverse aspects of pilgrimage, from the origins of traditions upto present-day practices and issues. Prospective speakers are invited to contribute papers addressing a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Pilgrimage narratives in texts and/or art
• Pilgrimage in mythology
• Mythology at places of pilgrimage
• Historical analysis of pilgrimage routes,sites, objects of worship, or practices
• Rituals, festivals, and practices associated with pilgrimages
• Personal motivations for specificpilgrimages
• Pilgrimage and gender/identity
• Pilgrimage without physical travel (e.g.,mental pilgrimage and pilgrimagebroadcasts)
• Pilgrimage in diaspora communities
• Sacred geographies and potent landscapes
• Interreligious interactions and/orcontestations at pilgrimage sites
• Contemporary developments at pilgrimagesites or in pilgrimage practices
• Pilgrimage and commerce