Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

OpenARC PhD Research Brief - Jackie Hosein


Jackie Hosein
4 year PhD student,
Religious Studies

About the researcher

I live in Glastonbury and have been a volunteer librarian with the Library of Avalon for ten years. My thesis topic was inspired by my role in collection management in the library, noticing how donation and loan data could be used to track trends. Over the course of my academic studies, my research has often focused on alternative spirituality; my own spirituality and involvement in the library has enabled me to people & events that might not be available to outsiders. I am affiliated with The Open University’s Religious Studies department, researching and writing my PhD thesis on the Library of Avalon.

Title

Analysing the New Age in the context of the Library of Avalon and its collections in Glastonbury

Five key insights about your research

  1. Although it was a reason that Glastonbury became known as an alternative lifestyle destination, the Glastonbury Festival actually takes place seven miles away in Pilton village.
  2. Joseph of Arimathea was believed to have founded the first Christian church in England in Glastonbury, and the town has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. The ruins of the medieval Abbey still attract pilgrims from all over the world.
  3. Since the 1970s, Glastonbury has attracted many New Age and Pagan visitors? Glastonbury Tor and the Chalice Well are considered sacred sites, and the Pagan seasonal festivals are publicly celebrated in the town with processions and rituals.
  4. The Library of Avalon is located in a 15th century building in the heart of Glastonbury? It is a charity run by volunteers, funded by membership subscriptions and donations.
  5. It uses a specially created classification system to catalogue its collection of books, pamphlets, and periodicals on a wide alternative and esoteric subjects, from Alchemy to Zen.

What is your research about?

My research is on the Library of Avalon, an esoteric lending library founded in Glastonbury in 1988. Over 25,000 books have been donated to the library since then, and many of the donors have been local people. Glastonbury is a centre of New Age beliefs, so I am looking at how New Age trends and events might be reflected in when the books were published, and when they were donated and by whom.

How are you conducting your research?

I am using archived material and oral history to build a picture of the history of Glastonbury and the library. I have been looking at the library archives and local alternative publications to see what was happening, and speaking to people who were involved with the library or the New Age community. The library database is also a useful source of publication and donation details for each book.

How does your research benefit wider society?

Although thousands of people come to Glastonbury each year, as visitors or pilgrims, or on their way to the festival, not many of them know about the Library of Avalon. My research documents the events and people that helped shape the library as a community resource, contributing to awareness and appreciation of its history and significance.