Managing Spirituality: Public Religion and National Parks

This article outlines four techniques through which the National Park Service manages the spirituality of park visitors: (1) the maintenance of bodily discipline; (2) evocation of the natural sublime; (3) implication of global interconnectedness; and (4) facilitation of individual differentiation. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mitchell, KIerry Archer (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox Publ. 2007
In: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Year: 2007, Volume: 1, Issue: 4, Pages: 431-449
Further subjects:B Spirituality
B Public Religion
B national parks
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Description
Summary:This article outlines four techniques through which the National Park Service manages the spirituality of park visitors: (1) the maintenance of bodily discipline; (2) evocation of the natural sublime; (3) implication of global interconnectedness; and (4) facilitation of individual differentiation. These techniques work together to construct spirituality as a private investment in the public space of the park. I argue that the National Park Service thus creates structural links between the individuality of visitors and a certain way of organizing the parks, a way that appears natural and is highly managed by the state. In this way a private, individualistic nature spirituality takes on the character of public religion.
ISSN:1749-4915
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.v1i4.431