This dissertation reconsiders the importance of the preacher, the music, and the frenzy (a construction introduced by W.E.B. Du Bois in his 1903 classic, The Souls of Black Folk) as core concepts for understanding African American religious practices in the 21st century as observed in a predominantly African American Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. It builds on Henry Mitchells observations about the importance of the Black Church congregation relative to the act of preaching and investigates the parallel significance of the congregation as a crucial partner not only for the preacher, but also for the music and the frenzy. The dissertation presents sermons, public prayers, songs, and personal interviews to convey the beliefs and attitudes of the people of Corinthian Baptist Church to a wider academic audience. Drawing on over two years of continuous ethnographic field research and field recordings, this dissertation brings the voices of preachers, musicians, and life-long church members into dialogue with the academic voices of Du Bois and Mitchell. The body chapters each consider relationships between the preacher, the music, and the frenzy by considering religious life as something that is neither more nor less comprehensible than other approaches to being human. By treating the perspectives of ordinary people with respect and operating from the assumption that their words and actions are fundamentally consistent with their beliefs, this dissertation invites readers to consider ways in which religious beliefs and practices function in a community that continues to deal with economic need and other legacies of race-based inequality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-12032008-163240 |
| Date | 29 December 2008 |
| Creators | Sheehan, Jeffrey W. |
| Contributors | Gregory F. Barz, Thomas Gregor, Brad R. Braxton, Dennis C. Dickerson |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, audio/x-wav |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-12032008-163240/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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