Thinking in, about and through atmospheres

: a research on the atmosphere of the camino de Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

In this dissertation, the Camino Primitivo de Santiago de Compostela is analysed through the concept of atmospheres. Atmospheres give our surroundings a certain tone and situate themselves in the in between. We are affected by their configurations as they unfold through time. Besides, atmospheres are ambiguous and as such, they form a connective element between multiple dualities. This makes them a flexible concept to think through as they take on both the role of research object and research medium. The Camino Primitivo, my case study, is a pilgrimage in Northern Spain. There is something about this pilgrimage that is not entirely graspable, but which make thousands of pilgrims move through pain, discomfort, and solitude. The Camino is a cultural practice, concerning different cultural contexts. Moreover, the Camino embodies on a tacit level, a cultural context. This is exactly why I use atmospheres to understand my case study. I apply Sumartojo and Pink’s (2019) research methodology of researching in, about and through the atmosphere of the Camino. Researching in reflects an embodied perspective, researching about transforms this knowledge into a representation and researching through uses the concept of atmospheres as a route to arrive at new knowledge. More specifically, I tackle the following main question: “How can we think in, about and through the atmosphere of the Camino?” and sub-questions: “How can I, applying this methodology, uncover new knowledge about the atmosphere of the Camino?” and “What is this new knowledge about the atmosphere of the Camino?” Following an extensive literature review, I establish an ethnographic-theoretical dialogue using fieldnotes and photographs that I took of the atmosphere of the Camino. In the end, researching in, about and through the atmosphere showed that the atmosphere of the Camino is animated. On the Camino pilgrims surrender to its atmosphere in the form of mystical participation which translate into affect, serendipities, and movement.

Date of Award	8 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Diana Gonçalves (Supervisor)