Category Archives: Volume 17, no. 3 (2022)

Sacred Sites in the Arctic North and Beyond: The Challenges of Protecting Cultural Heritage and Living Traditions in a Multitude of Contexts and Cultures

21/04/2022Introductory note (editor review)Sacred sites, appropriation, cultural heritage, indigenous peoplesFrancis Joy and Thora Herrmann

The foundation for what is to be presented below has much value as a discourse in today’s academia because of the ways in which the research and study of sacred sites are effected and encountered within a multitude of contexts, including religious studies, anthropology, art, and philosophy of law. These fields are represented in the twelve extended abstracts published hereby, and they outline a variety of subject matters pertaining to sacred sites as well as the need for raising awareness about their status, the critical functions and the many roles that they play in connection with local peoples, traditions, beliefs and practices, many of which have become endangered.

Protecting Sacred Sites Is a Matter of Justice. Philosophical Remarks for Our Research Group

21/04/2022Introductory note (editor review)Philosophy, jurisprudence, justice, religion, sacred, virtueGiorgio Baruchello

Any research group devoted to “sacred sites” presupposes, among other things, the recognition of sacredness, holiness, sanctity, inviolability, et similia, i.e., the logical and dialogical admissibility of spiritual and/or religious value, which is one among the many forms that value can have. Think, say, of ethical value (e.g., “war is wrong”), aesthetic value (e.g., “war … Continue reading Protecting Sacred Sites Is a Matter of Justice. Philosophical Remarks for Our Research Group →

Preserving Sacred Sites in the Arctic: Lessons from elsewhere?

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Anthropology, Arctic, co-management, people-park relations, protected areas, spiritual relationsAkwoni Ayonghe

Greetings! First of all, thank you for reaching out with regard to the question of how sacred sites can best be dealt with here in the Arctic. The answers surely depend on how best the local and indigenous residents see the matter. But, I believe, there are also examples that we can tap into from … Continue reading Preserving Sacred Sites in the Arctic: Lessons from elsewhere? →

“To be or not to be”? Tourism development plans and the voice of the river

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)human – more-than-human relationship, nature-based tourism, river spirituality, sense of place, tourism development hesitanceAnna Stammler-Gossmann

The distinctiveness of the place located by the river is “sensed together” by locals and outsiders – the Amma River has an iconic status as the most beautiful and the cleanest river in the whole region of the Republic of Sakha Yakutia. The small village in the Churapcha District, with its dramatic watery scenery, picturesque … Continue reading “To be or not to be”? Tourism development plans and the voice of the river →

Protection of Sacred Sites – Between Legal Pluralism and Cultural Ecology

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Canada, Finland, Sacred sites, cultural ecology, indigenous, legal pluralismDawid Bunikowski

My background is in philosophy of law but I work with different academic disciplines: law, philosophy, anthropology, theology, history and economics. My approach to protection of sacred sites is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary. Generally, my aim is to present different theories concerning law and cultural ecology and apply these to case studies on protection of … Continue reading Protection of Sacred Sites – Between Legal Pluralism and Cultural Ecology →

Recognizing Innu Sacred Natural Sites as Aboriginal-led Protected Areas by UAPASHKUSS: Innu Sacred Sites Guardians

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Respect, Sacred sites, connection, cultural heritage, mother earth, recognition, reconciliationDolorés André, Thora Herrmann and Veronique Bussière

Indigenous Peoples and communities have had long-standing relationships with nature, based on knowledge systems and practices that acknowledge and respect the spiritual environment in which they live (Verschuuren et al., 2012). They have assigned special significance to specific natural areas like mountains, rivers, lakes and forests in accordance with their spiritual beliefs (Wild & McLeod, … Continue reading Recognizing Innu Sacred Natural Sites as Aboriginal-led Protected Areas by UAPASHKUSS: Innu Sacred Sites Guardians →

Protection of Sámi Sacred Sites and Culturally Sensitive Tourism in Sápmi Under the Threats of Land-use

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Sacred sites, Sápmi, cultural sensitivity, indigenous studies, land-use conflicts, repatriation, tourismEleonora Alariesto

Tourism in Sámi homeland area, Sápmi, has increased rapidly over the past years. As its development accelerates, the various impacts of its expansion are visible at Sámi sacred sites called sieidi. The best-known sacred sites have become popular nature-travel destinations. As visits to sacred sites increases, the essence of their sacredness is under threat because … Continue reading Protection of Sámi Sacred Sites and Culturally Sensitive Tourism in Sápmi Under the Threats of Land-use →

How Secret Should Spiritual Knowledge Be? Human-spirit relations in the Nenets tundra

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Nenets, extractive industries, intimacy, offerings, sacred site rituals, west SiberiaFlorian Stammler

This contribution takes a longue durée perspective of 20 years to the transformation of spiritual ways of knowing the land. The ways in which Nenets people in the Russian Arctic display or hide their relations with the spirits from incomers have changed over time, due to a number of outside influences, but also to relations … Continue reading How Secret Should Spiritual Knowledge Be? Human-spirit relations in the Nenets tundra →

Sacred Natural Sites in the Arctic North: Living memory, traditions, cultural heritage and exploitation through tourism and inadequate protection

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Sacred sites, appropriation, cultural heritage, protection, sieidi, tourismFrancis Joy

The subject matters of better preservation and thus, protection of sacred sites, is a topic that is brought into focus herein because of different factors that are increasing the risks to places as such. This is due to how mining, land development and expansion of the travel industry in northern Fennoscandia have multiplied the threats … Continue reading Sacred Natural Sites in the Arctic North: Living memory, traditions, cultural heritage and exploitation through tourism and inadequate protection →

Sacred Places as Cultural Ecologies: Making space for the intangible

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)cultural ecology, intangible agency, sacred places, spiritualityPatrick Dillon

Sacred places take many forms and are experienced and understood in many different ways. There are no fixed definitions. For me, a sacred place is somewhere that is recognised for its spiritual significance, usually because of the way people engage with it through ceremony, worship of a deity, or acts of homage. It may be … Continue reading Sacred Places as Cultural Ecologies: Making space for the intangible →

Sacred Sites: Destruction or counter-hegemonic resistance?

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Traditional religions, UNDRIP, persecution, religious freedom, religious intolerance, resource conflictsRené Kuppe

Even among international human rights circles there is a total neglect of a particular form of ongoing colonization of non-European societies, which is hardly noticed or even discussed: worldwide, the destruction of traditional religions, beliefs and worldviews of indigenous peoples has increased, in recent years. New forms of corresponding violence have taken on systematic patterns. … Continue reading Sacred Sites: Destruction or counter-hegemonic resistance? →

The Nenets’ Sacred Places: The singing mountain Yanganya Pe

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Nenets, cultural heritage, cultural preservation, peoples of the Arctic, religion, sacred placesRoza Laptander

The cult of stones and mountains among the Nenets is very well developed and has a significant role in their culture. In the Polar Ural Mountains there are several sacred mountains that are especially revered by the Nenets. The Soviet ethnographer Lyudmila Khomich[1] wrote that it has many similarities with the same cults of mountains … Continue reading The Nenets’ Sacred Places: The singing mountain Yanganya Pe →

Climate Change and Underwater Cultural Heritage. Utilizing international law to empower communities to protect their coastal sacred sites and sea-level rise

21/04/2022Long abstract (editor review)Arctic, Sacred sites, climate change, community empowerment, underwater cultural heritageStefan Kirchner

Sacred sites in the Arctic are under threat from a number of external factors. In addition to land uses such as mining, climate change poses a major threat. Already today, climate change is leading to the melting of permafrost, coastal erosion and sea-level rise. While parts of the European Arctic continue to experience post-glacial land … Continue reading Climate Change and Underwater Cultural Heritage. Utilizing international law to empower communities to protect their coastal sacred sites and sea-level rise →

Nordicum-Mediterraneum

Icelandic E-Journal of Nordic and Mediterranean Studies

Category Archives: Volume 17, no. 3 (2022)

Sacred Sites in the Arctic North and Beyond: The Challenges of Protecting Cultural Heritage and Living Traditions in a Multitude of Contexts and Cultures

Protecting Sacred Sites Is a Matter of Justice. Philosophical Remarks for Our Research Group

Preserving Sacred Sites in the Arctic: Lessons from elsewhere?

“To be or not to be”? Tourism development plans and the voice of the river

Protection of Sacred Sites – Between Legal Pluralism and Cultural Ecology

Recognizing Innu Sacred Natural Sites as Aboriginal-led Protected Areas by UAPASHKUSS: Innu Sacred Sites Guardians

Protection of Sámi Sacred Sites and Culturally Sensitive Tourism in Sápmi Under the Threats of Land-use

How Secret Should Spiritual Knowledge Be? Human-spirit relations in the Nenets tundra

Sacred Natural Sites in the Arctic North: Living memory, traditions, cultural heritage and exploitation through tourism and inadequate protection

Sacred Places as Cultural Ecologies: Making space for the intangible

Sacred Sites: Destruction or counter-hegemonic resistance?

The Nenets’ Sacred Places: The singing mountain Yanganya Pe

Climate Change and Underwater Cultural Heritage. Utilizing international law to empower communities to protect their coastal sacred sites and sea-level rise