Spaces of Faith: An Affective Geographical Exploration of Houses of Worship

• Other Authors: Finlayson, Caitlin Cihak (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Geography
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4830

Religious experience is highly personal, and is often comprised of affectual encounters and emotional responses, both within personal space and through ordained sacred spaces. Geographers have continually ignored the role of personal experience in developing our understanding of and experience of being in sacred spaces, despite repeated calls for its examination. Additionally, although research into the emotive elements of religious practice has burgeoned in other academic disciplines, these investigations are decidedly lacking in an understanding of the role of space in mediating religious encounters. This research posits that sacred space can, and should, be spatially explored, and that affectual, spiritual encounters can inform our broader understanding of the transformative nature of sacred space. Expanding on recent geographical research, this dissertation seeks to provide a progressive theoretical framework for conceptualizing the affective capacity of sacred space. Traditionally, affect has been conceived of as solely non-representational, and geographic studies of affect have remained distinctly separate from studies of emotion. However, affect continues to be pragmatically engaged in decidedly represent-able ways. Furthermore, the current conceptions of affect and emotion as static and unrelated entities contradicts a humanistic understanding of the two as fluid and linked. Seeking to advance research on these topics, this dissertation postulates that approaching affect from a more-than-representational perspective and understanding affective-emotive spiritual encounters as a cohesive unit would allow for a more complete understanding of the lived religious experience. Building on this theory, this dissertation provides a series of empirical case studies which explore how personal affect and emotion are experienced by members from three houses of worship using semi-structured interviews and participatory observation. This fieldwork was carried out in Tallahassee, Florida in order to allow for an adaptive and in-depth research process, and the three case study locations selected were Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, the Taoist Tai Chi Society, Tallahassee branch, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tallahassee 5th ward. These locations differ in terms of both the members' religious ideologies and the site's geography. A total of 36 interviews were conducted with members and representatives at each location in order to better understand participants' emotional and affective experiences at these sites. The responses from interviewees highlight the unique capacity of sacred spaces to elicit powerful emotional experiences and inspire affectual-spiritual encounters in participants. Participants consistently felt more peaceful and content when at their chosen place of worship, and they also often likened the feelings of familiarity they experienced with a sense of being "home." In addition, although the particularities of each members' experience predictably varied, there was a commonality to this experience that extended beyond denominational lines. Moreover, this study demonstrates that spiritual experiences are often spatially grounded and can be geographically explored in meaningful ways. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Spring Semester, 2012. === January 27, 2012. === affect, affectual geography, emotional geography, geography of religion, non-representational theory, religion === Includes bibliographical references. === Victor Mesev, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert Deyle, University Representative; Philip E. Steinberg, Committee Member; Joseph Pierce, Committee Member.