A place for grief and belief: The Witness Cairn, Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, Scotland

Maddrell, Avril

Abstract

This paper draws on a case study of the Witness Cairn, at the Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, Scotland, to explore the relationship between bereavement practices and expressions of belief manifest in this particular place. The cairn is embedded in historic and contemporary Christian faith practices in the locality, and has combined with its form, naming and process of construction, to create a space of remembrance and, potentially, of transformation. Using the concept of liminality, it is argued that the individualised micromemorials found at the Witness Cairn offer insight to a continuum of belief-unbelief and the blurring of the divide between practising faith-adherents and non-adherents in British society. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2009
• Journal: Social and Cultural Geography
• Print ISSN: 1464-9365
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-1197
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 674-693
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14649360903068126
• Keywords: grief, belief, micro-memorial, sacred, cairn, positionality
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1004125
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14649360903068126
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Special themed issue: Geography, Religion, and Emerging Paradigms: Problematizing the Dialogue