Sacred Places in the Arctic and Beyond: Cultural and Existential Transitions (Arctic Worlds)

Sacred Places in the Arctic and Beyond brings together indigenous and non-indigenous scholars, rightsholders, and practitioners to explore the status and management of sacred places, which are important as both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.It acknowledges the critical functions and roles that sacred places play in connection with local people, traditions, beliefs, and practices, as identity markers, places of cultural transmission and memory, and locations that support ecosystems and biodiversity. Four chapters present case studies from the Arctic, and four more widen the geographical coverage to North America, South America, Africa and Europe, each describing the cultural contexts and Indigenous cosmologies of sacred places in their respective regions.The studies raise issues of access to sacred places, destruction and disruption caused by extractive industries and tourism, and implications of these challenges for their management.The book concludes with three chapters th