Alcantara, Christophe

The representation of the Santiago de Compostela routes by the pilgrim hikers: The expression of a mythology? - 2018.


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This article allows us to question pilgrim hikers’ perception of Compostela routes, first by analyzing their personal experience of the route they took to reach Compostela and then by questioning their representation of the route. With the help of a mythology that is at work on a semiological level, the author has carried out a thorough and qualitative study, adopting an ethnomethodological method. From a corpus of six interviewed people, the author used the reflectivity of pilgrim hikers to analyze their personal experiences of the route. Routes to Compostela are filled with omens, rites, and practices that are taken up by the pilgrim hikers, at least partially. As the meaning of the pilgrim itself changes throughout the route, what is highlighted in their stories is the difference between their thoughts at the beginning and the realities that appear along the way.