Paper short abstract:

The introduction to our panel aims at exploring the construction of our object of study. It raises the question: what do we need to consider when attempting to embark on the study of these shrines? What methods and theories can be used to approach these sites? This session will set up the analytical framework that will guide the discussions of our panel.

Paper long abstract:

The introductory session of our panel aims at exploring the construction of our object of study. At first glance, the researcher would spontaneously distinguish a street-shrine from an established temple. However, as we try to fix these apparently evident differences, suddenly the boundaries of the object become blurry and any evident criteria –be it the size, their legal status, ritual control, the communities, etc.– that could function as the defining marker of these shrines becomes hard to find. Therefore, this introduction raises the question: what do we need to consider when attempting to embark on the study of these shrines? What methods and theories can be used to approach these sites? In this brief presentation we aim to set up the analytical framework that will guide the discussions of our panel.