MACKENZIE MEADE

Bio: Mackenzie Meade came to Michigan State from Albany, New York to study Political Science but after taking an introductory Religious Studies course, she switched her major to Religious Studies with a concentration in Nonprofit leadership. She plans to continue work with nonprofits in the fall at New England Law Boston, where she will be pursuing a J.D.

Abstract:  A Study of religious and spiritual enlightenment through travel using travel novels as a case study. First looking at novels where the traveler finds enlightenment through interaction with a pre-existing religions tradition then expanding into novels where the traveler reaches their truth through their own experiences without interacting with a preexisting religious tradition. All in hopes of understanding travel as a religious and spiritual experience. These novels include Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and more. This thesis inspects how travel, both through interaction with religion and as an individual journey, can be a catalyst for enlightenment.

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