Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music - Softcover

Sylvan, Robin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814798098 ISBN 13: 9780814798096

Verlag: New York University, 2002

Inhaltsangabe

"Sylvan's thesis furnishes far more of the same valued experiences than is usually realized: ritual activity, communal ceremony, a philosophy and worldview, a code for living one's life, a cultural identity, a social structure, a sense of belonging, and crucially, Sylvan argues encounters with the numinous."
—Journal of Religion
Most studies of the religious significance of popular music focus on music lyrics, offering little insight into the religious aspects of the music itself. Traces of the Spirit examines the religious dimensions of popular music subcultures, charting the influence and religious aspects of popular music in mainstream culture today and analyzing the religious significance of the audience's experiences, rituals, and worldviews. Sylvan contends that popular music subcultures serve the function of religious communities and represent a new and significant religious phenomenon.
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork using interviews and participant observation, Sylvan examines such subcultures as the Deadheads, raves and their participants, metalheads, and Hip Hop culture. Based on these case studies, he offers a comprehensive theoretical framework in which to study music and popular culture. In addition, he traces the history of West African possession religion from Africa to the diaspora to its integration into American popular music in such genres as the blues, rock and roll, and contemporary musical youth subcultures.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Robin Sylvan is Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts at the College of Wooster in Ohio.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: New York University
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2002
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0814798098
• ISBN 13: 9780814798096
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 291
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Mare Nostrum Group B.V.; gpsr@mare-nostrum.co.uk; ; Doelen 72; Breda; 4831 GR; Niederlande