Mediated Spaces of Collective Ritual

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the contemporary manifestations of the pilgrimage tradition of Hajj and engages a deeper reflection on how Muslim pilgrims encounter and negotiate space(s)—both physical and virtual—in a globalized, hyperconnected era. The embodied experiences of Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, are examined through the lens of artefacts produced and publicly shared with others on social-networking platforms. A visual-content analysis conducted on a sample of one hundred selfies taken at Hajj point to the work that these artefacts do in the context of the construction of affiliative identities among geographically dispersed communities of pilgrims. Our findings suggest that the selfies contribute to interrogating and complicating religious spaces. The heterotopic discursive fields opened by the sacred selfies may even constitute meaningful ritual spaces through a recentering around the devotee. Sacred selfies can thus be read as a tactic used to create opportunities for self-representation and community building.

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