Deana L. Weibel
I am a cultural anthropologist who studies religion, awe, and meaning-making in extraordinary places, from pilgrimage sites on Earth to human spaceflight.
From sacred places on Earth
My earliest fieldwork focused on pilgrimage and sacred space in France, particularly Lourdes and Rocamadour. I became interested in how places, objects, stories, bodies, and expectations come together to create experiences people understand as sacred.
To human experience in space
My longstanding fascination with space eventually brought those questions into a new setting. Since interviewing my first NASA astronaut in 2004, I have studied the religious, spiritual, and emotional dimensions of space exploration through interviews and fieldwork with astronauts, scientists, physicians, engineers, pilots, and astronomers.
A human presence in space means human culture goes with us, including religion, ritual, awe, uncertainty, and the need to make meaning.
Explore
The Ultraview Effect
My research on astronauts’ encounters with celestial vastness, awe, humility, and the limits of human comprehension.
Religion and Space
A collection of examples showing how religion and spaceflight intersect, including ritual, prayer, religious objects, and representations in popular culture.
Publications
Academic and public writing on religion, pilgrimage, human spaceflight, awe, and related subjects.
In the Media
Interviews, podcasts, articles, and other public conversations.
Speaking
Talks and public appearances on anthropology, religion, space exploration, and awe.
About
I am Professor of Anthropology at Grand Valley State University. My work brings together cultural anthropology, the anthropology of religion, ethnography, astronaut interviews, and public scholarship.
I live in Michigan with my family and cats. I also love travel, languages, animals, genealogy, and places that make the familiar world feel larger.
Contact
Deana L. Weibel, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology
Grand Valley State University