Inga vanliga turister. En komparativ studie av tre nyreligiösa bloggare och deras skildringar av Machu Picchu

Abstract

This thesis examines and compares three blogs depicting visits at the Peruvian Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. The authors of the blogs are identified and categorized as operating within the - often vague and multifaceted - new religious scene. This categorization is argued as appropriate due to either individual self-descriptions and/or the specific parlance used in the blogs when depicting the individual travel experiences. The purpose of the study is to examine how these individuals describe their encounter with Machu Picchu, what role the site is considered to hold in their depictions and whether thematic similarities and/or differences can be found. Drawing inspiration from the phenomenological tradition and using a comparative research design it is shown, through a thematic analysis, that the encounter with Machu Picchu and what role the site plays in these depictions varies between the individual bloggers. Further, when comparing the given blogs and considering the tension between tourists and pilgrims, thematic similarities are identified and discussed within the theoretical framework of the thesis. These include arduousness and merit, emic distinction and sacral bumps – concepts mainly derived from the late Ninian Smart. It is also shown how these themes can be regarded as interrelated phenomena.