Divine Sight, with Kiran Shinde

In this conversation, Heather A. Warfield interviews Kiran Shinde, a prominent researcher in religious tourism and pilgrimage studies. They discuss Kiran's journey into the field, the intersection of religion and environmental issues, and the disconnect between religious teachings and practices. Kiran emphasizes the importance of governance in managing sacred sites and explores the identity of devotees versus pilgrims. The conversation also touches on trends among young people in seeking spiritual experiences, the complexities of Buddhist tourism, and the significance of military memorials. Kiran shares insights on future directions for research in religious tourism and highlights his current projects.

Psychology of Pilgrimage host, Dr. Heather A. Warfield, is a researcher, professor, and specialist of pilgrimage studies, with research focused on the psychology of pilgrimages. She is the series editor of Pilgrimage Studies (Peter Lang), co-editor of Pilgrimages to the Western Front of World War I: Historical Exemplars & Contemporary Practices, and editor of Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Pilgrimage: Historical, Current and Future Directions. In addition to academic publications, she has written articles about contemporary battlefield pilgrimages for US military publications and serves as a battlefield pilgrimage expert for military staff rides and other related educational programs.

Dr. Kiran Shinde has researched extensively on topics related to religious and cultural heritage and tourism and their intersections with urban planning and destination management. He has published five books plus 70  research articles published in high-ranking journals and books with reputed publishers. His books include:  A Research Agenda for Religious Tourism (2024, co-edited with Joseph Cheer, Edward Elgar); Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development (2021, MDPI); Religious Tourism and the Environment (co-edited with Daniel Olsen, 2020, CABI); and Buddhist Tourism in Asia: Towards Sustainable Development (2020, UNWTO: Madrid), and Religious Heritage and Tourism in Asia (co-edited with Dallen Timothy, Routledge, forthcoming).  He was commissioned by UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation) to lead a project on “Buddhist Tourism in Asia: Towards Sustainable Development” that covered Buddhist heritage and tourism in 16 countries. He has delivered keynote addresses at conferences in Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore, Turkey, India, etc. He is an associate editor at Tourism Geographies, and a member of the Editorial Boards of two top-ranking tourism journals:  Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Geographies.