The research project that I am presenting is part of an independent study course in Anthropology designed by Dr. James Bielo, entitled Materiality and the Circulation of Culture. The project entailed a critical reading of scholarship in anthropology, material religion, and museum studies; an analysis of >100 newspaper stories (1924-62) detailing a traveling Holy Land replication; and the creation of an interactive map to be hosted on a digital scholarship site curated by Dr. Bielo. The main question that was addressed involved understanding the appeal, use, and power of miniature replications in public contexts. Through the archival analysis, I found that although this genre of object can function as a form of education and was often treated with the sacrality one might expect in a religious setting, it also functioned as a form of leisure entertainment. The first step in the research process involved indexing microfiche scans or pdf scans of newspaper articles from mainly the first half of the 20th century. The articles that were examined and indexed were texts that profiled a Holy Land replication created by two Maltese immigrants, Joseph and Salvatore Gauci, and traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada. The next step, which is currently in progress, is to create an interactive digital map that documents the journey of the model. Looking forward to my professional career, I am interested in anthropological material culture, and how objects can function as learning tools. This research project gave me an idea of how religion, a concept that is often assumed to be intangible, can be materialized in ways that educate audiences in public contexts and re-create popular religious beliefs.”
Author: Laila Haidar
Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Bielo, Anthropology
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