CREES

The phenomenon 'pilgrimage' is, to our understanding, a fruitful theme for a symposium, since the phenomenon exists in many major religions, in many religious movements and also outside of the conventional religious sphere. The symposiums of the Donner Institute are primarily intended for scholars of comparative religion in the Nordic countries. In these, comparative religion has never been a large discipline, and it is therefore an advantage for the Symposium theme not to be limited to a particular religion or a religious movement, since the Donner symposiums, being the only regular Nordic conferences on comparative religion, are aimed at functioning as genuine meetings of a wide range of scholars in the field.

We explicitly welcome papers on pilgrimages that are akin to, but not identical with, religious pilgrimages. As examples of such, we could mention pilgrimages to Elvis Presley's Graceland or to the grave of Jim Morrison. Here, it should be noted that one of our points of departure is also that, despite their similarities, it is important to take into account the difference between pilgrimages and tourism.

We would also like to comment on our intentions in limiting the theme to pilgrimages today. We did not want to limit the theme geographically, but applied a limitation in time instead. Our grounds for this is that without any restriction, the subject is too broad to work well as a conference theme-and with this fact in mind, we preferred a limitation in time rather than one in geographical scope.

Having learnt from earlier experiences, we do not want to present a more detailed description of the Symposium theme. Pilgrimages are an old phenomenon, and a more exhaustive description, albeit in Turnerian terms, would, we think, hardly benefit anybody. We hope for a wide
interest in our planned symposium.

Application
Please send your application to give a paper, with a short abstract included, to the Donner Institute no later than March 15 2009.
Twenty minutes will be reserved for your lecture followed by 10 minutes for discussion.

Finally, we would like to inform you that the lectures will be published, in English, French or German, in volume 22 of the Donner Institute series Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis. The published version of your lecture may be longer than the one you present at the
symposium. We will be happy to receive a digital and publishable version of your lecture already at the symposium but no later than October 31 2009.

Registration
The registration fee is 150 euros, 100 euros for doctoral students and for avec 75 euros.
The fee should be paid by the end of May 2009.
Account number: Nordea FI 12 20571800020055 NDEAFIHH
(In Finland: Nordea 205718-20055, Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi)
The registration fee includes a Get together party, an excursion and a banquet organised in connection with the symposium.
Please indicate in your registration whether you wish to participate in the excursion and the banquet.

Conference venue and accommodation
Linnasmäki Congress Centre Hotel
Ringbrynjegatan 7 (Lustokatu 7)
FIN-20380 Åbo/Turku, Finland
Tel. +358 2 412 3500, www.linnasmaki.fi/en

Visit our website at
http://web.abo.fi/instut/di/congress2008/English.htm