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Listening as Religious Practice (Part Two): Exploring Qualitative Data from an Empirical Study of the Cultural Habits of Music Fans
Abstract
This article explores and reflects upon the role that music consumption may be playing in the flexible field of cultural expression, identity formation, and meaning-making activity in the West, as overt commitment to organised religion continues to decline and prove fragile. Using quantitative data from a 2009–2010 study of 231 music users, the authors locate and analyse the respondents’ declarations about their listening practices in relation to their other socio-cultural habits and life-commitments. The article explores the genres and themes of music listened to, the means by which the music is accessed, the frequency of listening, and the scale and nature of non-musical commitments. The significance of differences between replies of male and female respondents and between replies of self-identified religious and non-religious respondents is also considered. The article concludes that, while listening habits differ only slightly between religious and non-religious respondents, there are differences in three significant respects: music use with respect to political self-expression; access of ‘life-worlds’/the narratives that people live by; the frequency and technological format of listening.
This article examines how the emerging concept of affective space can be applied to movie soundtracks, with particular reference to “The Scarlet Tide” written by T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello for the film Cold Mountain (dir. Anthony Minghella 2003) and the implications this has for the place of religion in film culture. The article explores how affective space works with the experience of individual listeners and the wider social context. Both affective expressions can shape how this track is received and integrated into a process of meaning making. The article concludes with an assessment of some implications that this discussion has for understanding the social nature of music, religion, and spirituality.
The term 'music in everyday life' has been prevalent in the research literature for about a decade. The only book to be so far published with this precise tide is DeNora (2000), although other terms, such as 'music in daily life' have preceded it. Earliest treatments were predominantly found within sociology and media studies, with increasing attention by psychologists in more recent years. Although this is a new topic of study, it is a fast-growing one within music psychology. This can be illustrated by the relative coverage of the topic in two comprehensive reviews of the discipline published in the last decade. There is only the briefest of mentions of the topic in the specially commissioned multi-authored entry on 'psychology of music' in The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians. Yet only a few years later, 'music in everyday life' was considered so central that it was assigned a six-chapter section to itself within the nine-section structure of the Oxford handbook of music psychology. The purpose of this chapter is not to document every type of activity that falls under the rubric of music in everyday life. Rather the current purpose is to extract and try to systematize some key issues relating to emotion as it impinges on, and interacts with, music in everyday life. I have found ten dimensions on which everyday music has been distinguished (whether explicitly or otherwise) from the 'non-everyday'. I describe each of these dimensions in turn, drawing out potential implications for emotion of each dimension. These implications will act as working hypotheses against which to organize and evaluate the empirical research literature.......
The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"--metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.
In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.
This book takes as its starting point Max Weber's contention that contemporary Western culture is marked by a 'disenchantment of the world' - the loss of spiritual value in the wake of religion's decline and the triumph of the physical and biological sciences. Relating themes in Hegel, Nietzsche, Schleiermacher, Schopenhauer, and Gadamer to topics in contemporary philosophy of the arts, it explores the idea that Art, now freed from its previous service to religion, has the potential to re-enchant the world. The book develops an argument that draws on the strengths of both 'analytical' and 'continental' traditions of philosophical reflection. The opening chapter examines ways in which human lives can be made meaningful, and the second chapter critically assesses debates about secularization and secularism. Subsequent chapters are devoted to painting, literature, music, architecture, and festivals. The book concludes that only religion properly so called can 'enchant the world', and that modern art's ambition to do so fails.
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2003 Film as Religion argues that popular films perform a religious function in our culture. Like more formal religious institutions, films can provide us with ways to view the world and values to confront it. Lyden contends that approaches which interpret films only ideologically or theologically miss the mark in understanding their appeal to viewers. He develops an alternative method which shows how films can be understood as representing a "religious" worldview in their own right. Lyden surveys the state of the study of religion and film, offering an overview of previous methods before presenting his own. Rather than seeking to uncover hidden meanings in film detectable only to scholars, Lyden emphasizes how film functions for its audiences?the beliefs and values it conveys, and its ritual power to provide emotional catharsis. He includes a number of brief cases studies in which he applies this method to the study of film genres-including westerns and action movies, children's films, and romantic comedies-and individual films from The Godfather to E.T., showing how films can function religiously.
Seeking to dynamically alter the way that theologians, ecclesiologists, students of religion and ministers look at the relationship between church and society, this book explores how oft-overlooked issues are in fact highly significant for the shaping of theological and ecclesiological horizons. Building on the concepts of implicit and invisible religion, Percy offers a fresh and original interpretative 'take' on contemporary society, appealing to clergy, laity, scholars and all those working in the field of theory and reflective practice in practical and pastoral theology.
Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' long-standing fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. This book explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, the book seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. It finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritualities as well as belief in "superstition" grow accordingly. Ironically, the book argues, fundamentalist Christian alarmism about the forces of evil has also fed belief in a wider array of supernatural entities. Resisting the claim that the media "brainwash" teens, the book argues that today's popular stories of demons, hell, and the afterlife actually have their roots in the US's religious heritage. The book considers why some young people are nervous about supernatural stories in the media, while others comfortably and often unself-consciously blur the boundaries between those stories of the realm beyond that belong to traditional religion and those offered by the entertainment media. At a time of increased religious pluralism and declining participation in formal religious institutions, the book says, we must completely re-examine what young people mean-and what they may believe-when they identify themselves as "spiritual" or "religious". Offering insights into how the entertainment media shape contemporary religious ideas and practices, the book paints a portrait of the spiritual state of America's youth.
Drawing from the author's psychological research on especially generative (that is, caring and productive) midlife American adults and on a reading of American cultural history and literature, this book identifies a prototypical story of the good life that many Americans employ to make sense of who they are, who they have been, and who they will be in the future. The central theme in this story is redemption - the deliverance from suffering to a positive status or outcome. Empirical research suggests that highly generative American adults are much more likely than their less generative counterparts to construe their lives as tales of redemption. Redemptive life stories promote psychological well-being, physical health, and the adult's commitment to making a positive contribution to society. But stories of redemption are as much cultural texts as they are individual psychological constructions. From the spiritual autobiographies composed by the Massachusetts Bay Puritans to the most recent episodes of the Oprah Winfrey Show, common scripts for the redemptive self may be found in religious accounts of conversion and atonement, the rags-to-riches stories of the American dream, and canonical cultural narratives about personal liberation, freedom, and recovery. The book examines the psychological and cultural dynamics of redemptive life narratives, including the role of American religion and self-help as sources for the construction of life stories and the broad similarities, as well as the striking differences in how African-American and Euro-American adults construct redemptive stories of the self. For all their psychological and cultural power, redemptive life stories sometimes reveal important limitations in American identity. For example, some versions of the redemptive self underscore the naïve expectation that suffering will always be overcome and the arrogance of seeing one's own life as the living out of a personal manifest destiny.
This book takes the insights of modern psychological and neuroscientific research on the emotions and brings them to bear on questions about our emotional involvement with the arts. It begins by laying out a theory of emotion, one that is supported by the best evidence from current empirical work on emotions, and then in the light of this theory examines some of the ways in which the emotions function in the arts. Written in a clear and engaging style, the book will make fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the emotions and how they work, as well as anyone engaged with the arts and aesthetics, especially with questions about emotional expression in the arts, emotional experience of art forms, and, more generally, artistic interpretation. Part One develops a theory of emotions as processes, having at their core non-cognitive 'instinctive' appraisals, 'deeper than reason', which automatically induce physiological changes and action tendencies, and which then give way to cognitive monitoring of the situation. Part Two examines the role of the emotions in understanding literature, especially the great realistic novels of the 19th century. It is argued that such works need to be experienced emotionally if they are to be properly understood. A detailed reading of Edith Wharton's novel The Reef demonstrates how a great novel can educate us emotionally by first evoking instinctive emotional responses, and then getting us to cognitively monitor and reflect upon them. Part Three puts forward a new Romantic theory of emotional expression in the arts. Part Four deals with music, both the emotional expression of emotion in music, whether vocal or instrumental, and the arousal of emotion by music. The way music arouses emotion lends indirect support to the theory of emotion outlined in Part One.
"Robert Wuthnow shows how music and art are revitalizing churches and religious life across the nation in this first-ever consideration of the relationship between religion and the arts. All in Sync draws on more than four hundred in-depth interviews with church members, clergy, and directors of leading arts organizations and a new national survey to document a strong positive relationship between participation in the arts and interest in spiritual growth. Wuthnow argues that contemporary spirituality is increasingly encouraged by the arts because of its emphasis on transcendent experience and personal reflection. This kind of spirituality, contrary to what many observers have imagined, is compatible with active involvement in churches and serious devotion to Christian practices. The absorbing narrative relates the story of a woman who overcame a severe personal crisis and went on to head a spiritual direction center where participants use the arts to gain clarity about their own spiritual journeys. Readers visit contemporary worship services in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston and listen to leaders and participants explain how music and art have contributed to the success of these services. All in Sync also illustrates how music and art are integral parts of some Episcopal, African American, and Orthodox worship services, and how people of faith are using their artistic talents to serve others. Besides examining the role of the arts in personal spirituality and in congregational life, Wuthnow discusses how clergy and lay leaders are rethinking the role of the imagination, especially in connection with traditional theological virtues. He also shows how churches and arts organizations sometimes find themselves at odds over controversial moral questions and competing claims about spirituality. Accessible, relevant, and innovative, this book is essential for anyone searching for a better understanding of the dynamic relationships among religion, spirituality, and American culture."
Spirituality is re-embracing the magical and otherworldly, and in this timely investigation Sara MacKian makes an important contribution to our understanding of the social science of contemporary spiritual evolution. Putting 'spirit' at the heart of spirituality, the author takes seriously the otherworldly experiences of everyday spiritual seekers, and through extensive fieldwork, establishes an exceptional view of the contemporary spiritual landscape. By exploring the everyday impacts of alternative spiritual beliefs and practices the book gets to the heart of what an enchanted spirituality looks like and how critical social science can map and understand it. Everyday Spirituality is an essential read for anyone with an interest in developing a deeper understanding of spiritual evolution in modern Western societies.
Music is universal. As a successor to the book The Social Psychology of Music, this book aims to provide social psychological answers to the numerous questions concerning music. Given the prominence music plays in our lives, it is still however imperilled by modern culture. Forewarning an imminent danger to music, it was warned in the previous book that the digital revolution would pave the way for legal and illegal online music stores and computer applications that would completely change the way people accessed music. With its ubiquity, music has been downgraded as insignificant or 'cheap'. This book deems that the best way to safeguard music is to comprehend the rightful place it occupies in our everyday modern life, and those more complex factors that rationalize our most profound experiences of music. The chapters in this book argue that the social and applied psychology approach to music can tackle issues such as: why some pieces elicit strong emotional reactions; what makes a good musician, or why some composers are forgotten easily; whether music can boost retailers' profits; whether there is a link between musical subculture and suicide; and whether music can be used to help sick patients. Using social and applied psychology to understand some questions about music helps to safeguard it by allowing people to make effective arguments concerning 'music as a manifestation of the human spirit'; against modern-day pressures such as neo-conservative protesters, accountants, and the digital revolution by demonstrating its social and financial value.
Introduction Chapter One. Facts and Figures: a profile of religion in modern Europe Chapter Two. Theoretical Perspectives Chapter Three. Vicarious Memory 1: the churches Chapter Four. Vicarious Memory 2: the church-goers Chapter Five. Precarious Memory: religion in the education systems of Europe Chapter Six. Mediated Memory: religion and the European media Chapter Seven. Alternative Memories 1: pluralism and the law Chapter Eight. Alternative Memories 2: religious innovations Chapter Nine. Aesthetic or Symbolic Memory: the cultural sphere Chapter Ten. Conclusion
This article addresses the question of how responses to the arts and popular culture, as mediated through on-line fan activity, may contribute to the development of religious/spiritual exploration in contemporary Western societies. It offers a critical reading of 40 short essays posted by fans of the rock band U2 on a fan site from the perspective of how respondents expose their personal, critical reflections on their developing selves. The function of the U2 songs reflected upon, the listeners’ responses, the strategies/processes used, and the resources upon which they draw in the task of reflection are noted and examined. The article maps a multi-disciplinary programme for examining responses, uses one sociological framework (as provided by the work of Margaret Archer) as a case study of how this multi-disciplinary framework may prove fruitful, and concludes by noting the benefits for contemporary religious/theological understanding of the on-line activity studied.
This enlightening book explores the ways in which inner-life spirituality has been experienced, understood, and valued in western society. In doing so, it traces the development of modern spiritualities of life, from the origins of Romanticism in the late-eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture. The result is an insightful account of the spiritual landscape. In a provocative argument, Heelas takes on the belief that holistic spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back. He contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the "good life". These expressivist and humanist spiritualities, he argues, are helping us to find balance in the face of the suffocating demands of twenty-first century living. Building on
The Spiritual Revolution (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and
The
New Age Movement (1996),
Spiritualities of Life completes a trilogy of books by this acknowledged world leader in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Setting its discussion in the wider context of the decline of institutional religion among young adults, the rise of alternative spiritualities, and the mediatization of religion, the article explores the significance of popular music in the development of alternative spiritual identities and ideologies. A summary is given of leading research conducted in this field by Christopher Partridge and Graham St. John. It is argued that they demonstrate the encoding of alternative spiritual symbols and ideologies into certain forms of popular music, they fail to give an adequate account of how audiences actively make use of this music to construct alternative spiritual identities or frameworks of meaning. The article concludes that researchers in the field of religion and popular music need to draw more on theories and methods developed in ethno-musicology and the sociology of music, and suggests that the work of Tia De Nora on music in everyday life raises important questions about the qualities and context of the act of listening to music that could generate more nuanced accounts of how popular music shapes alternative spiritual identities and ideologies.
Video-based media spaces are designed to support casual interaction between intimate collaborators. Yet transmitting video is fraught with privacy concerns. Some researchers suggest that the video stream be filtered to mask out potentially sensitive ...
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1998.
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