 | Consuming Visions: Mass Culture and the Lourdes Shrine Subjects: Christian shrines -- France -- Lourdes; Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- France -- Lourdes; Popular culture -- France -- Lourdes; Popular culture -- Religious aspects -- Christianity; Lourdes (France) -- Religious life and customs; Plastic Madonnas, packaged holy tours, and biblical theme parks can arouse discomfort, laughter, and even revulsion in religious believers and nonbelievers alike. Scholars, too, often see the intermingling of religion and commerce as a corruption of... Suzanne K. Kaufman is Associate Professor of History at Loyola University Chicago. |
