More than a million tourists visit religious landmarks in San Antonio, Texas, each year, observing and sometimes participating in religious activities there. The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park - managed by the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Catholic Church - is one of hundreds of religious places in America and around the world where tourists have become a familiar presence. In Blessed with Tourists, Thomas S. Bremer explores the intersection of tourism and commerce with religion in America, using the missions and other San Antonio sites as prime examples. Bremer recounts the history of San Antonio, from its Native American roots to its development as a religious center with the growth of the Spanish colonial missions, to the modern transformation of San Antonio into a tourist destination. Employing both ethnographic and historical approaches, Bremer examines the concepts of place, identity, aesthetics, and commercialization, demonstrating numerous ways that modern market forces affect religious communities. By identifying important connections between religious and touristic practices, Bremer establishes San Antonio as a distinctive source for anyone seeking to understand the interplay between the religious and the secular, the traditional and the modern.
Les mer
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is one of hundreds of religious places in America and around the world where tourists have become a familiar presence. Thomas S. Bremer explores the intersection of tourism and commerce with religion in America, using the missions and other San Antonio sites as prime examples.
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780807855805
Publisert
2004-12-13
Utgiver
Vendor
The University of North Carolina Press
Høyde
235 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
05, 06, UU, UP, P
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
224

Forfatter

Biographical note

Thomas S. Bremer is assistant professor of religious studies at Rhodes College.