Keeping the Flame Going, with John Eade

In this conversation, Heather A. Warfield speaks with John Eade, a prominent figure in pilgrimage studies. He shares his journey into anthropology and early interest in pilgrimages, which began at Lourdes. The discussion also focuses on the concept of contestation in pilgrimage studies, emphasizing the diverse motivations of pilgrims and the importance of healing. Eade also highlights the significance of mentoring young scholars and emerging areas of study, such as soundscapes in pilgrimage experiences. The conversation reflects on the cultural and spiritual aspects of pilgrimage, showcasing Eade's extensive knowledge and influence in the field.

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.

John Eade studied at Oxford University between 1968 and 1973, completing a BA in Modern History (1968), a Diploma in Social Anthropology (1969) and undertaking research on the socialidentity of middle class Bengali Muslims in Calcutta, submitted as a M.Litt in 1976. He began lecturing at Digby Stuart College, London, in 1973 and completed a PhD at the University of London in 1986 on the politics of community among Bangladeshi Muslims in the borough of Tower Hamlets. In 2000 Eade was appointed Professor at University of Surrey Roehampton, between 2004 and 2011 he was Professor at the University of Roehampton and Executive Director of CRONEM (Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism), University of Surrey/ Roehampton University, 2011-2025 he continued as Professor on a part-time contract and now Emeritus Professor. He is also Visiting Professor at Toronto University.

Eade’s involvement in pilgrimage began in 1968 when he joined the Oxford University Catholic pilgrimage to Lourdes where he worked as a volunteer helper. In 1989 he organised a three day conference on pilgrimage from which emerged the volume, Contesting the Sacred: The Anthropology of Christian Pilgrimage (1991), co-edited with Michael Sallnow. During the 1990s he focused on urban ethnicity, identity politics, global migration and global cities but began working with others, who were writing about contemporary pilgrimage, especially Simon Coleman. Eade co-edited the volume Reframing Pilgrimage: Cultures in Motion (2004) and started building a network of scholars, mostly in Europe, through establishing the Pilgrimage Studies Network (PilNet) within the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) with Mario Katic (Zadar, Croatia) in 2017, as well as a book series with Ashgate and then Routledge.

Besides the pilgrimage volumes mentioned above he has published the following co-edited volumes – (with M. Katic) Pilgrimage, Politics and Place-Making in Eastern Europe. 2014; (with D. Albera) International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies: Itineraries, Gaps andObstacles, 2015 and New Pathways in Pilgrimage Studies: Global Perspectives, 2017; (with S. Coleman) Pilgrimage and Political Economy, 2018; (with M. Katic) Military Pilgrimage and Battlefield Tourism: Commemorating the Dead, 2018 and Approaching Pilgrimage: Methodological Issues Involved in Researching Routes, Sites, and Practices, 2023. Eade has also published a range of journal articles and chapters since 1991 which draw on his experience of pilgrimage at Lourdes and, more recently, in England.