No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Ghost stories are an ingrained part of most cultures because, typically, humans must be forced to confront those elements of their individual and communal past that they would prefer to ignore. Accordingly, ghosts have embodied weaknesses and hidden evils that must be assimilated and transcended, and writers have embroidered a variety of subtexts upon the traditional fabric of ghostlore. Specifically, both William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Toni Morrison's Beloved employ ghosts as symbols of man's archetypal desire to hide his past. A careful examination of the texts in these ghost stories, of the cultural folklore included, and of the ghosts' influence on individual characters reveals both writers' insistence that man must find the delicate balance between ignoring/evading the past and being consumed by that past. Both writers also explain that the individual's identity must integrate the past, but not be stifled by it. These works differ in that Shakespeare illustrates how man is destroyed when he does not find that balance and does not incorporate his past into his identity, while Morrison depicts the psychic balm that results from confrontation with and acceptance of the past as her characters face a new, more authentic life. While Shakespeare draws upon his society's widely accepted belief system, Morrison, operating in a culture alienated from its own mythic heritage, consciously constructs a mythic framework acceptable to the skeptical twentieth century reader.

Roadside memorials commemorating the death of automobile crash victims are scattered throughout the Kentucky landscape. This persistent cultural practice contains symbolic elements oftentimes indicative of religious connotations. Because there is a constitutional separation of church and government in the United States, these memorials can prelude controversy if located on state-maintained rights-of-way. This study examines Warren County, Kentucky, and analyzes the spatial distribution of these memorials on the landscape and the cultural implications to society because of their ties to death and dying. Scientific research in various fields of psychology, sociology, folk studies, geoscience, and religious studies was analyzed, including religious census information. Additionally, state departments of transportation were queried on policies relating to roadside memorials to develop a foundation for research in Warren County. A GPS unit was utilized to develop a roadside memorial database, and GIS was used to map the locations of these memorials in relation to the Bowling Green urban area, road types, and other factors. A typology based on the symbolic elements composing the memorials was constructed to analyze the database further. Qualitative information was also gathered while performing fieldwork to gain some insight into people's perceptions about roadside memorials. This study concludes that roadside memorial construction is a persistent cultural practice, is a controversyal issue shaped by local policies and social influences, and is not necessarily restricted to one road type. In terms of Warren County, Kentucky, roadside memorials exist throughout the county, typically on state-maintained, heavier-traveled roadways. They are found in rural areas along two-lane highways, but also exist in urban areas. Roadside memorials reflect the region's tie to Christianity, particularly the Southern Baptist denomination of the Protestant faith, and they are not encouraged, discouraged, or prohibited by local, state, or federal policies.

The aim of this study was to examine young children's understanding of superstitions—specifically bad luck superstitions. Children between the ages of 4 and 9 received a set of interview questions concerning their experiences with superstitions, their beliefs about the efficacy of superstitions, and their knowledge of the mental and physical components of superstitions. Participants also completed a belief task designed to assess the relative importance of belief and action in superstitions. The findings indicate developmental patterns in children's awareness of superstitions and beliefs in efficacy of superstitions. With age, children demonstrated a significantly greater awareness of superstitions. In contrast, children demonstrated a significant decrease in beliefs in the efficacy of superstitions by the age of seven. Regarding children's perceptions of the necessary components of superstitions, there were important similarities in the developmental pattern of children's responses. Across all age groups, the action component of a superstition (as opposed to a belief component) was found to be the primary factor in effectiveness of superstitions to "bring bad luck." These findings are discussed in relation to children's beliefs about good luck superstitions, magic, wishing, prayer, and the potential modes of cultural transmission of supernatural beliefs.

The development of organized, explanatory systems of knowledge is an integral part of human nature; it allows us to categorize objects and events and to make predictions based on our experiences. In our society, the quest for answers to the questions "How?" and "Why?" begins early in life. By the preschool years, children are actively seeking and providing explanations for an abundance of physical and social events, and they are developing knowledge of causal forces at work in the environment (Bullock, Gelman, & Baillargeon, 1982; Rosengren & Hickling, 1999). Paradoxically, at about the same age at which children demonstrate they have a fundamental understanding of natural causal forces operating in the world, they are introduced by our culture to concepts and beliefs that seem to contradict their early theories. For example, children learn of popular superstitions (e.g., a four-leaf clover bringing good luck) that employ causal mechanisms outside the realm of natural laws governing the physical world. This concept raises the question of whether or not children with a fairly sophisticated understanding of normal causal forces believe in superstitions and, if so, how they reconcile these supernatural beliefs with their knowledge of natural causal relations. The aim of this study was to examine young children's understanding of superstitions. Children between the ages of 5 and 9 received a set of interview questions concerning their experiences with superstitions (e.g., "Do you know what a superstition is?"); their beliefs about the efficacy of superstitions (e.g., "Do superstitions always come true or just some of the time?"); and their knowledge of the mental and physical components of superstitions (e.g., "Do you have to believe it will come true for it to really happen?"). Participants also completed a belief task designed to assess the relative importance of belief and action in superstitions. The findings indicate developmental patterns in childrenn's awareness of superstitions and beliefs in efficacy of superstitions. With age, children demonstrated a significantly greater awareness of superstitions. In contrast, children demonstrated a significant decrease in beliefs in the efficacy of superstitions by the age of seven. Regarding children's perceptions of the necessary components of superstitions, there were important similarities in the developmental pattern of children's responses. Across all age groups, the action component of a superstition (as opposed to the belief component) was found to be the primary factor in the effectiveness of superstitions to "bring good luck." These findings are discussed in relation to children's beliefs about magic, wishing, and prayer, and the potential modes of cultural transmission of supernatural beliefs.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 2007. / Title from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 25, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0705. Adviser: Henry Glassie.

Diss.--Giessen, 2000. / Bibliogr. p. 361-390.

Dissertation--Heidelberg, 1977. / Textes en arabe suivis de leur traduction en allemand.