Pilgrimage to Hajj: An Information Journey

Abstract

Completing a pilgrimage has often been touted as a transformational experience. Yet, pilgrimage as an information context is sorely lacking in our field, despite the valuable insights it could provide into the complex information environments and evolving states of those who undertake pilgrimage. In this article, I examine a specific pilgrimage: the Hajj in Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Preparing for Hajj involves a series of stages encompassing material, spiritual, and informational dimensions. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, this study applies the lens of pilgrimage as ‘lived religion’ and makes explicit the detailed activities and outcomes of pilgrim information practices, and the ways in which information in its multiple forms (textual, spiritual, corporeal, etc.) has mediated and shaped the pilgrims’ journey. I build on established theories in information behavior and meaning-making in the context of everyday life, as well as the literature on pilgrimage and pilgrimage as ‘lived religion’ to relate the participants’ encounter with Hajj and their experiences toward becoming a Hajji/-a (someone who has completed the Hajj). Findings based on interviews with twelve (12) global Hajj goers suggest that pilgrims’ information practices are varied, and transcend both individual (cognitive, affective) as well as social processes (through shared imaginaries and a translocal network of people and resources). The study illustrates the importance of examining diverse transformational experiences in LIS, and the rich contributions that our field can make to these research contexts.