The Camino Academy is a platform where academia and pilgrims meet to discuss the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. The Camino Academy promotes and structures this meeting.

Our focus lies on the Camino in all its aspects and manifestations.  This interest can be historical, arts-related, cultural, geographical, sociological, psychological, narratological, etc. New areas (such as e-ritual and cyberpilgrimages) can also be explored. Broader fields that are not exclusively related to the Camino, such as that of pilgrimage or ritual studies, have their place in this platform too. However, the shared interest in the Camino provides the profile of the Camino Academy.

Partners

Supporting partners of the Camino Academy come from institutions and individuals that are explicitly concerned with the Camino. A central position is held by the Dutch Society of Saint James. Academic partners are the Tilburg School of Humanities (Tilburg University), the research group Ritual in Society (Tilburg University) and the Meertens Institute (Amsterdam).

Background

An important background for the initiation of the Camino Academy is the noticeable interest of Camino pilgrims for not only the practical sides of the pilgrimage, but also for surrounding spheres such as history, contemporary positioning, etc. Their willingness to engage with these academic subjects supports the formation of this platform.

Concrete actions

The Camino Academy seeks to facilitate a transfer of knowledge and communication in a number of different ways. One might think of academic lectures, expert meetings, seminars, and courses, with national and international speakers. But also of the composition and collection of publications on an online Camino bibliography. Furthermore, the Camino Academy is interested in bringing together interested parties from different environments and assist in raising funds for small and large research projects.