Place, action, and community in internet rituals

This chapter explores various Web sites in order to appreciate what the Internet adds to ritual practices, how it changes them, and what conflicts arise when existing rituals are transferred from physical space to cyberspace. The first case examines the function of Australian Aboriginal smoking rituals as ways of belonging and reconciling. The second argues that the Lourdes Web site is not really a substitute for people’s personal, tactile communication with the Marian shrine or fellow pilgrims. The third case illustrates how Weblogs of dying and bereaved people in the Netherlands provide recognition and contribute to the rediscovery, even reinvention, of spirituality.