by Chor-on Leung. / Thesis (M.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 186-199.

By comparison with its secular counterpart, the liturgy of English medieval monasteries has received little attention. This thesis explores one aspect of the liturgy of some of the wealthiest and most influential foundations in England - the Benedictine houses. It covers the formation and proliferation of 'votive' observances, recited as additions to or replacements for the major calendar observances. Evidence is drawn from over fifty manuscripts, dating from the Benedictine reform of the tenth century to the eve of the Dissolution in the sixteenth century. Some thirty monasteries are represented, with particular reference to the practices of Winchester, St Albans, Worcester and St Mary's, York. Part One examines the precedent for appended observances in The Rule of St Benedict (c.540), and the interpretation of this document by the Carolingian reformer Benedict of Aniane (c.750-821). Votive practices in the first English monastic customary, Regularis Concordia (c.970), and other devotional sources of a similar date are analysed. Part Two deals with the proliferation of three major observances after the Conquest - the daily votive office, recited as an appendage to the regular hours, the weekly commemorative office, which served as a replacement for the ferial office, and the independent antiphon (in particular Salve regina), recited or sung after Compline. The structure, adoption and devotional characteristics of each observance are examined, with particular reference to the predominantly Marian bias of much of the repertory. The second volume contains liturgical texts and related analytical tables, a descriptive catalogue of sources, transcriptions of Marian antiphons from the Worcester Antiphoner (c. 1230) and a comparison of eight versions of Salve regina.

This dissertation explores the role of popular religion in a transnational community by examining the performance of devotion to local patron saints, virgin mothers and sacred crosses. Annually in May, Empalme Escobedo, Guanajuato, Mexico celebrates San Isidro Labrador (the patron saint of farmers), Maria Auxiliadora (the patroness of railroad laborers) and the Santa Cruz de Picacho (Sacred Cross of Picacho). Following the celebrations many of the male participants in the fiestas travel to Texas to work in agriculture or the service industry. Consequently, devotion to the saint(s) moves with migrants back and forth across the Mexican-U.S. border. My thesis is that the force of devotion gives voice to the tension between the desire for solidarity (experienced through fiesta performance) and the erosion of the community by migration (experienced as absence and dissolution). What I call the force of devotion refers to the social processes, expressive culture, continuity and change that make up a transnational community's system of beliefs and practices and enable folks to understand, explain or cope with everyday life. The force of devotion is the key analytic frame through which I interpret the articulations of spirituality and popular religion, impermanence and fragmentation, absence and hope. The central questions posed in this dissertation emerge from the stories folks in Empalme Escobedo tell about their lives. Consultants talk about their devotion as an expression of faith, a necessary guidance through daily life and a symbol of hope. Tracking the force of devotion exposes social relationships, emotional and intimate experiences, desires and fears. Memory of and participation in the fiestas not only symbolize the force of devotion, but also serve as a connection to separated family members and place of origin. The everyday reality of the absence of loved ones and the fragmentation of the community as a result of migration amplifies the human desire for sociability and solidarity. The fiesta performance provides a space in which the consciousness of communal boundaries is heightened, thereby confirming and strengthening the experience of the social and the force of devotion. / text

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This dissertation focuses on Zulu men‟s interpretation of masculinity in the context of changing gender relations in South Africa. It seeks to achieve this objective by taking into consideration the cultural and faith practices that influence the formation of Zulu men‟s masculine identities. The formation of masculine identities is crucially important especially with regard to the current gendering order of society where masculinity is often implicated in the violent acts and spread of HIV. However, this study seeks to show how the advent of the democratic transition in South Africa, especially with regard to the Constitutional values of 1996, has dismantled some of the dominant cultural and faith practices of Zulu men. There are number of types of masculinities including hegemonic, subordinate, complicit, and marginal which are in contestation and tension with one other. The current level of violence against women and children, substance abuse, famicide, HIV infection, reckless driving and crime are some of the outcomes of hegemonic masculinities in turmoil. The „new way‟ of becoming men is non-violent, nurturing, and mutual in relationships, and committed to the principles of the South African Constitutional values. They represent an ideal type of being a man in South Africa that is admired by women who have lost trust in and fear men. However, the traditionalists perceive these characteristics of being a man as compromising their masculinity. Their response to change suggests that men feel disrespected in the home, community, and society are not favored by law, which now has high regard for women. In some sectors of society, women still experience “dis-empowerment” in the workplace and the home but do not necessarily project their anger on men. Instead, they join hands and challenge unjust structures, and fight to be valued as citizens in the state, home and society. Hegemonic masculinities have shown vulnerability to change which is often manifest in immature behavior, low self-esteem, uncertainty, and fear. This suggests that there is a struggle to come to terms with change in traditional masculine norms. This study has also shown that in religious institutions the gender hierarchy is evident in places of worship, images of God, understandings of Christ as man, liturgies, and use of biblical texts. Religious men tend to perceive themselves as representing and speaking on behalf of God with women relegated to submissive roles. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

This dissertation critically reviews chilangizo in the Baptist Convention of Malawi (BACOMA) and assesses its impact on Chewa society. Christian History has shown that the Christian attitude towards traditional customs and practices surrounding life cycle rituals has ranged from negative and hostile to positive and acceptance, resulting in offering alternative 'Christian' rituals. The issue of chilangizo and chinamwali have been a real pastoral and missiological problem to the Baptist Convention churches because of the churches' failure to understand the meaning of the traditional rites in the light of the mother tongue Scriptures. This study aims at guiding the Church in Malawi and in Africa to engage with more openness with the cultural issues. This should assist BACOMA to thoroughly understand this cultural phenomenon and the meanings associated with all aspects of the rites. Studying the Scriptures to understand how they reinterpret chinamwali and its associated meanings should lead BACOMA churches into an interactive process of discussion, reflection, teaching and action. This study is therefore an attempt to begin this process and make recommendations for BACOMA. After the introductory chapter, the second chapter gives a survey of the 'religious itinerary' of the Chewa pre-Christian life and thought. The third chapter traces the emergence of BACOMA churches within the American Southern Baptists' religious and Western cultural contexts on one hand, and the African context on the other. The fourth chapter gives a phenomenological description and analysis of chinamwali. It also shows the socio-religious significance of chinamwali within the Chewa culture. The fifth chapter surveys the historical context of chilangizo as the Christian response to the traditional rite. It then analyses the Baptist chilangizo liturgy and its contents. The sixth chapter gives the phenomenological description and analysis of chilangizo at the grassroots level. It also assesses its impact and makes recommendations towards an improved rite. In view of the assessment and recommendations made in chapter six, the final chapter allows the Chewa Scriptures to re-interpret the rite and its meanings. It also presents a proposed Christian chinamwali that maintains the traditional ritual frame and dynamism. The proposal leaves room for creativity and improvement by the individual congregations. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

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