Sacred spaces : alternative religion and healing in Glastonbury, England

Abstract

From April 26 to July 27 1999 I conducted field research in Glastonbury England. During this period, I studied the manifestation of alternative religious beliefs and the provision of alternative healing in the context of seven alternative Bed and Breakfast accommodations. The following thesis probes issues relating to the manifestation of the alternative identity of these establishments, the characteristics of alternative healing in the B&B's, and the nature of health and healing as understood by proprietors of these accommodations. Further, I examine the importance of the physical, spiritual and symbolic landscape of Glastonbury to the practice of healing. I also discuss the nature of the town as a centre of 'alternative' pilgrimage in relation to the model proposed by anthropologist Victor Turner. Lastly, I explore the nature of tourism in Glastonbury and the tensions which exist between the alternative spiritual world of the B&B proprietors and the secular world represented by the Tourist Board.