Devotion in Motion - by Edward Wright-Ríos (Paperback)

About the Book

"A study of contemporary pilgrimage through the elastic history of a shrine in Oaxaca, Mexico. For many, pilgrimage conjures ideas about ancient traditions and somber journeys of self-discovery-an escape from modern life. In Devotion in Motion, Edward Wright-Râios argues that we misunderstand pilgrimage (past and present) if we ignore its dynamic relationship with the rhythms of daily life and community. Through the story of a centuries-old, ever-changing Catholic shrine to Our Lady of Juquila in Oaxaca, Mexico, Wright-Râios reveals how tradition, innovation, marketing, and devotion coexist and interact in pilgrimage. Devotees, he shows, are not dissuaded by the embeddedness of the sacred site in the complexities, hierarchies, or conflicts of their lives. In fact, the truckers, accountants, and healthcare workers we meet in this book actively seek new resources (including social media) to aid and share their devotion. Part microhistory, part ethnography, Devotion in Motion is a celebration of pilgrimage as a living experience in every generation"--

Book Synopsis

A study of contemporary pilgrimage through the elastic history of a shrine in Oaxaca, Mexico.

For many, pilgrimage conjures ideas about ancient traditions and somber journeys of self-discovery--an escape from modern life. In Devotion in Motion, Edward Wright-Ríos argues that we misunderstand pilgrimage (past and present) if we ignore its dynamic relationship with the rhythms of daily life and community.

Through the story of a centuries-old, ever-changing Catholic shrine to Our Lady of Juquila in Oaxaca, Mexico, Wright-Ríos reveals how tradition, innovation, marketing, and devotion coexist and interact in pilgrimage. Devotees, he shows, are not dissuaded by the embeddedness of the sacred site in the complexities, hierarchies, or conflicts of their lives. In fact, the truckers, accountants, and health-care workers we meet in this book actively seek new resources (including social media) to aid and share their devotion. Part microhistory, part ethnography, Devotion in Motion is a celebration of pilgrimage as a living experience in every generation.

Review Quotes

"This book . . . combines historical analysis with community-based research, tracing the devotion's evolution and highlighting the complex interplay among faith, commerce, and conflicts involving the Catholic Church and local communities."-- "Choice"

"I was completely blown away by this book. I do not think I have ever read a book that better combines academic insight with such fascinating eyewitness detail that you have no choice but to slow down and read every word. The foreignness and unrelatability of pilgrimage disappear in Wright-Ríos's hands."--Margaret Chowning, University of California, Berkeley

"Part history, part participatory research, part documentation of lived religion, this highly original work shows how pilgrims enact faith as a journey through community, family, and livelihood, often beyond formal structures of the church. Wright-Ríos shows how a historian can engage in present-day lived experiences that are immersed in history. The book is grounded in diligent research and an acute eye for narrative detail."--Robert Weis, University of North Colorado

"With good-natured erudition, Wright-Ríos has crafted a multitextured study of pilgrimage to Our Lady of Juquila, a shrine in Oaxaca, Mexico. He explores how devotees make their way to this sacred location that holds deep affective spiritual power, as well as opportunities for religious tourism and commerce. Wright-Ríos neatly draws together the ways in which this devotion offers a microcosm of religious belief and practice in both contemporary Mexican and México ancestral."--Virginia Garrard, University of Texas at Austin

About the Author

Edward Wright-Ríos is professor of history at Vanderbilt University. His books include Searching for Madre Matiana: Prophecy and Popular Culture in Modern Mexico.