Migrant, Tourist, Pilgrim, Monk: Mobility and Identity in a Global Age

Abstract

Globalization is often portrayed as ushering in a world without borders, a mobile world where everything is shifting. This essay aims to nuance this portrayal by examining different kinds of mobility in the globalized world and the identities they create. It begins with examining two typical figures from a globalized world: the migrant and the tourist. Then two figures from religious traditions—the pilgrim and the monk—are examined as resources for a positive response to globalization.