Anthropology - Butler University

Lauren Hodge, Faculty Sponsors: Elisa Lucchi-Riester & Robin Turner, Butler University
Civic engagement, the study of how individuals engage with their community, has been shown to
have a tremendous impact on politics. Previous research has indicated immigrant populations
engage with their communities differently than non-immigrant populations. Yet there have not
been many studies specifically studying Italian-American populations and their methods of
engagement. Utilizing Indianapolis’ rich Italian immigrant population, a study was conducted
through interviews and surveys. The results have revealed Italian-Americans maintain their
Italian but not regional identity from generation to generation. Additionally, Italians, while
highly educated, purposefully choose not to vote in national elections. Rather, they are highly
involved in neighborhood and local community activities and tend to engage in conversation
about politics and social issues at a high rate, but choose to engage in politics through “nontraditional”
methods.
Visiting the Promising Land: The Effects of Religious Pilgrimage on Peace Building in the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Christopher Jozwiak, Faculty Sponsors: Siobhan McEvoy-Levy & Paul Valliere, Butler
University
This research will provide an analysis of religious pilgrimage and its connections with peace
building in context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Religious pilgrimage peace research points
to an area that emphasizes the current and future opportunity for faith-inspired peace building in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Little research in the past has analyzed this relationship of
religious pilgrimage and peace building, particularly within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The
uniqueness of this research is built upon that of British scholar, Dr. Stephen R. Sizer, who has
noted the rare nature of such research. The history of pilgrimage to the Holy Land offers a
complex background on the contemporary situation and explains a variety of current nuances in
the region. The Holy Land has a rich history. Furthermore, the history of pilgrimage to the Holy
Land has uniquely shaped the modern nature of pilgrimage today and distinctively contributed to
the social, economic and political status of the Holy Land. While Jewish and Islamic pilgrimage
within the context of the Holy Land was analyzed for this research, Christian pilgrimage is
focused on, particularly regarding the context of the Roman Catholic Church.
This analysis obtained information through a combination of a variety of scholarly methods for
research. The foundation for this analysis included participant observation as a pilgrim from
November 2011, interviews with pilgrims to the Holy Land and local residents of Israel and the
Palestinian Occupied Territories. Additional pilgrimage experiences in Europe and a
comprehensive scholarly review of interdisciplinary materials connected with pilgrimage in
theology, history, peace building, political science and the Holy Land further shaped this
research.
In some ways this research analyzes both intentional and unintentional actions and effects of
pilgrimage on local communities. This includes economic, theological, sociological and political
consequences. Pilgrimage is thus analyzed in a variety of ways to understand its impact on peace
building in the Holy Land.