Nature as Sacred Space: Beyond Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane

• Author / Creator

  Shepherd, Kelly D

• In religious geography, anthropology, and other fields, Mircea Eliade’s sacred-profane dichotomy continues to be influential in the study of sacred space and sacred architecture. However, the limitations of this dichotomy become apparent when it is applied to North American Indigenous religious traditions. This thesis therefore compares and contrasts Eliade’s definitions and theories of sacredness, and specifically his notions of sacred geography, with those of various North American Indigenous traditions. The objective is an expanded definition of sacred space based on the relational or ecological model, which I have derived from these traditions. In this model, sacredness is not seen as separate from the natural world, but rather the natural world itself is considered inherently sacred.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Sacred space
  • Aboriginal religious traditions
  • Nature
  • Mircea Eliade
  • Indigenous religious traditions
  • Sacred geography
  • Sacred and profane

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R37P9B

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.