Tourism, Security, and Sacred Space at Bethany Beyond the Jordan

At Bethany Beyond the Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site marking Jesus of Nazareth's baptism site, sacrality is not merely inherent but actively shaped by tourism, commodification, and security infrastructure. This study reveals that ritual encounters are organized through tourist spaces, while the commodification of sites and souvenirs, alongside state security practices tied to border geopolitics, co-creates perceptions of sacredness. Through semiotic analysis grounded in first-person observation, the research demonstrates how these forces—tourism, security, governance, and materiality—intertwine with power dynamics, redefining sacred spaces in the Holy Land as contested sites rather than neutral pilgrimage destinations.

Stockwell, O. (2026). Tourism, Security, and Sacred Space at Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Southern Anthropological Society Proceedings, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.56702/mpmc7908/saspro5001.4