The “best idea” of creating national parks involved eradicating the previous meanings and uses of these places that had sustained indigenous cultures for centuries.
sacred space
End of semester reflections
Reflections on the Fall 2018 term, another gratifying semester with enthusiastic and inquisitive students.
Elvis religion and the sacred space of Graceland
Is Elvis a religion? Students explore this and other questions, including whether Elvis really left the building, or is he still with us in ways we never imagined?
Detourist in a Holy Land
On a sojourn to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, author Tom Fate discovers the detourist’s novel ways of seeing, being, and relating.
Bucket List: National Park Places of Religion
Aside from the opinion of many people that all national parks are sacred, many sites in the national park system have specifically religious histories, and a number of these continue to serve explicitly religious purposes. Consider, for instance: The Ebenezer Baptist Church at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia. This […]
San Antonio Missions Added to the World Heritage List
Today’s announcement from the World Heritage Committee approving the addition of five cultural sites on their World Heritage List, including the San Antonio Missions in Texas, has me wondering about the process of gaining World Heritage status. Certainly, the Spanish colonial missions in San Antonio are as deserving as any site of cultural significance, but […]