[Linganth] New book on sacred place-making, with ling anth discussions

[Matt Tomlinson]

Hi everyone,

Yujie Zhu and I have published a new short book on sacred place-making, and it is freely available (Open Access) until the 28th of March! It is downloadable at this site: Making Places Sacred<https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/making-places-sacred/72D06C95979528CCAFF7A13C03613F4A>

I'm posting this to the linganth listserv because we include discussions on topics likely to be familiar to many members, including Apache place-naming and Kaluli engagements with sonic landscapes.

Short description: Although claims to sacredness are often linked to the power of a distant past, the work of making places sacred is creative, novel, renewable, and reversible. This Element highlights how sacred space is newly made. It is often associated with blood, death, and geographic anomalies, yet no single feature determines sacred associations. People make space sacred by connecting with 'extrahuman' figures – the ancestors, spirits, and gods that people attempt to interact with in every society. These connections can be concentrated in people's bodies, yet bodies are particularly vulnerable to loss. The Element also examines the multidimensional and multisensory dimensions of sacred space, which can be made almost anywhere, including online, but can also be unmade. Unmaking sacred space can entail new sacralization. New and minority religions in particular provide excellent sites for studying sacredness as a value, raising the reliably productive question: sacred for whom?

We're especially hoping the book might be used in classrooms, and will be grateful for any feedback.

With best regards,
Matt


Matt Tomlinson
Director, School of Culture, History and Language
Professor of Anthropology
College of Asia and the Pacific
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT 2600
CRICOS Provider: 00120C | ABN: 52 234 063 906


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