Program overview
About the course
This course allows students to conduct ethnographic research in Sardinia, Italy, examining the island region’s popular religious expressions as forms of cultural heritage, from prehistoric ritual sites and historical religions, to religious festivals as heritage events and the rise of New Age religions inspired by archaeology. Nearly every aspect of traditional life in Sardinia is in some way connected with religion and spirituality. Students will engage with local experts, both in communities and at the University of Sassari, to discover the region’s ethnohistory in regards to religious expressions: how they were lived historically as well as how they are currently being reclaimed and valorized in a context of global heritagization. Students will reside in the fieldsite, a pastoral village of 500 inhabitants in northwest Sardinia, in home stays and bed‐and‐breakfasts, participating in village life as they conduct research. Their final projects will contribute to an exhibit on popular religiosity in the local museum.
The course is led by Dr. Sabina Magliocco, who has conducted fieldwork in the region since the 1980s.