Tourist sites: religious sites

Professor Kuan and professor Tran have encouraged the SEAT (SE Asia Trip) participants to identify certain research interests related to this trip we'll be taking in January. Given that we only have about 17 more days until we actually embark on this journey, I wonder how thorough the research will be. Many of the folks have identified very interesting topics (i.e. interreligious dialogue, Islamic symbolisms, indigenous cultural rituals, missionary movements, etc.) which will undoubtedly require much more attention than we are able to give.

For this trip, I'll be inviting SEAT participants to reflect on the various sites that we'll visit to examine their attractiveness (or lack thereof) as tourist attractions. We will observe, participate, and surely be factors of change at these locations. If we consider our roles as tourists from a foreign country (a country wielding certain political and economic and cultural gravitas for that matter) there is much to observe and discuss.

• What theological and religious suppositions do we bring with us when we enter these places of religious significance?
• How do we interpret the images/icons/symbols that we see?
• What lenses of analysis do we use when we observe these objects?
• What informs our understanding of these contexts when we are invited to participate in the rituals?
• What are the cultural and social foundations (norms/mores/values) that we use as a basis for interpreting and understanding the creation/establishment of these places of worship and religious observance?
• How are our own c/s foundations different from or similar to those of our visitation sites?
• How might those similarities and/or differences impede or advance our understanding of, interaction with, and participation in the people, culture, and communities that we visit?