Date of Award
Summer 8-11-2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Religious Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Isaac Weiner
Second Advisor
Dr. Kathryn McClymond
Third Advisor
Dr. Molly Bassett
Abstract
Many scholars have recognized the communicative and emotive power of singing as a ritual performance, and some have argued that hymn singing has played a significant role as a medium of cultural and religious communication and exchange. To better understand how and why singing might facilitate such exchange, this essay explores as a case study, the role of hymn singing in the cultural contact between the Cherokees and the missionaries at Brainerd, near Chattanooga, TN. By examining accounts of ritual singing recorded by both missionaries and Cherokees, the project illuminates how these communities, respectively, may have understood the role of singing in ritual practice. From these different perceptions of ritual singing, one can better understand how the Cherokees may have experienced resonances with the missionaries’ practices, which would encourage cultural assimilation and exchange. In turn, this study contributes to a larger conversation about music and religious expression.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/2101441
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Gavin M., "Raising the Voice for Communion and Conquest: Hymn Singing in Contact among the Brainerd Missionaries and the Cherokees, 1817-1838." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/2101441