Digital Commons Network^™

Keal, Ronnie (Fa 928), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 928. Paper titled: “The Study of Gravestone Epitaphs.” Project includes introduction of gravestone epitaphs and cemeteries in Hardin County and Meade County, Kentucky.

Immigrating With God: Religious Coping Among Central American Asylum Seekers, Aubrey G. Parke

Undergraduate Student Research Awards

Maria sat next to me on the sofa, smiling as she told me that she had been gang raped and kidnapped twice on her journey from El Salvador to Mexico. When I asked Maria how she could be so happy, she answered by speaking to God instead of to me: "Sometimes one has to suffer. I did not suffer like you suffered, Jesus, and I am a sinner." During my year and a half of volunteering at Casa RAICES, I have heard many stories like Maria's, stories that combine extreme suffering with extreme faith. I am touched and fascinated by …

Refractions Through The Secular: Islam, Human Rights And Universality, Zara Khan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Universal human rights (HR) are often theorized as philosophically neutral. Because they do not espouse any particular theory of the human being, it is argued, they can be reasonably appropriated by all. In this thesis, I explore HR’s universality claim, by focusing on the discourse’s secular foundation. In the universal human right to freedom of religion, I find a distinctly modern grammar of ‘religion,’ one that separates ‘religion’ from politics and power, law from morality, and the public and private realms. The modern concept of religion also espouses a secular theory of the human, insofar as the human is defined …

War Of The Worlds: Music And Cosmological Battles In The Balinese Cremation Procession, Michael B. Bakan

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Abstract

This article explores processional action as a form of cosmological intervention in Hindu-Balinese cremation processions, focusing on the multiple and intersecting functions of a particular type of Balinese instrumental music ensemble: the gamelan beleganjur. It explores the alternately “enlivening and protective aspects” (DeVale 1990, 62) that underlie the use of beleganjur music in the ngaben, or cremation ritual, showing how beleganjur’s sonic power and rhythmic drive serve to combat malevolent spirit beings, strengthen and inspire processional participants in their efforts to meet challenging ritual obligations, and grant courage to the souls of deceased individuals embarking on their …

Pilgrimage And Audience On The Maharashtrian Vārī, Jaime Jones

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Abstract.

Each year during the monsoon season, devotees of the Hindu Vārkarī sect take to the streets of the cities and towns of Maharashtra, to go on the vārī, a massive annual pilgrimage lasting twenty-one days. The procession of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims is not only seen but heard, as the songs written by the singer-saints of the tradition occupy nearly every moment of the journey. In this article, I examine the relationship between music and pilgrimage procession by focusing on the idea of audience - defined as both the listening public and the act of hearing itself. Rather …

Bradley, Peggy And Dianah Logsdon (Fa 883), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection 883. Paper titled: “Negro Religious Beliefs.” Project includes survey sheets with descriptions of religious beliefs and practices of African Americans in Kentucky. Sheets include a description and informant’s name.

Abney, William Irving (Fa 871), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 871. Paper titled “A Collection.” Project includes survey sheets with brief descriptions of various aspects of life in Tompkinsville according to informant, Ulysses Gee Boyles of Monroe County, Kentucky. Sheets include a description of each topic.

Acercamiento Al Pensamiento Mágico Y La Superstición En El Discurso Literario De La Primera Modernidad Española: Miguel De Cervantes Y María De Zayas, Miguel Magdaleno Santamaria

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this thesis is to serve as a first approach to magical thinking and superstition in the literary discourse of Early Modern Spain, by examining these topics in Miguel de Cervantes’ first Quijote (1605) and María de Zayas’ Novelas Amorosas y Ejemplares (1637). The methodology followed in this thesis fundamentally includes the points of view of four fields of study. These are: anthropology, history, literature and historical linguistics. Accordingly, this study is thematically divided into four big sections: first, a discussion around the concept of ‘magical thinking’ in relation to religion (from an anthropological point of view); second, …

Confronting Kenneth Burke's Anti-Semitism, Janice W. Fernheimer

Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Facing Our Demons: Psychiatric Perspectives On Exorcism Rituals, Joel R. Sanford

The Hilltop Review

Belief in possession by malevolent spirits exists in many cultures and religions throughout the world, and such beliefs often serve as explanations for a variety of psychological and emotional afflictions. Traditional remedies in these cases often involve exorcism rituals, which are believed to expel spirits from a person's mind and/or body. Some of the cases commonly attributed to involuntary spirit possession are diagnosed within the psychiatric community as schizophrenia or some sort of dissociative disorder and treated with psychotherapy and/or medicine. For some in the psychiatric community, exorcisms and their use by patients are viewed as problematic due to their …

Breaking Cover: Confronting Crisis And Displacement In Timbuktu, Mali, Andrew Hernann

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In Spring 2012, a loose alliance of ethnic Tuareg nationalist and Jihadi-Salafist militant groups occupied Mali’s northern regions, forcibly displacing nearly 300,000 residents and ultimately imposing their harsh interpretation of shari’a among those who remained. Later, in January 2013, as these groups began marching towards southern Mali, the French army suddenly intervened, “liberating” urban centers in the North as the militants fled into the Sahara Desert and across the Algerian border. My research examines this period of occupation, displacement and intervention, which most Malians have come to term “the crisis.” Specifically, I analyze the cultural and religious frameworks through which …

Introduction | Theorizing The Secular In Tibetan Cultural Worlds, Holly Gayley, Nicole Willock

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

This special issue on ‘The Secular in Tibetan Cultural Worlds’ originated in a panel on The Secular in Tibet and Mongolia at the Thirteenth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2013. To contextualize the contributions to this issue, spanning diverse temporal and geographic contexts, this Introduction raises theoretical concerns and discusses contested terminology regarding ‘religion’ and the ‘secular’ in Tibetan discourse. The authors situate local articulations of the secular within broader academic discussions of the varieties of Asian secularisms and offer a key intervention to complicate the secularization thesis and prevailing views of …

Eco-Spirituality: Case Studies On Hinduism And Environmentalism In Contemporary India, Vikram Vishnu Shenoy

Honors Theses

India, with its population of 1.3 billion people, is one of the world's fastest growing countries both in terms of population and economy. One consequence of such rapid growth is that India now has levels of environmental pollution that are unprecedented in scale. Hinduism, India's majority religion, is the primary focus of this research. Hinduism is a religious tradition whose roots lie in the ancient Sanskrit Vedas. The Vedas, along with the Upanishads and Puranas, hold teachings of nurturing, caring, and protecting all aspects of the natural world. The cultural dynamics of India have drastically changed over the past two …

Cultural Congruency And Shocking Buzz Campaigns: Contrasting The Opinions Of Professionals And Consumers, Karim Ben Yahia, Soukeina Touiti, Mourad Touzani

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Buzz marketing in social networks is often seen by announcers as an opportunity to reach the biggest audience. However, the risk of failure of buzz campaigns proves not to be negligible and its consequences may be serious for the company. In order to succeed in such buzz campaigns, this research study focuses on cultural aspects, and more particularly on the central role of cultural congruency. To explore these aspects, a qualitative study, based on 36 face-to-face interviews with marketing professionals/advertisers and consumers, has been carried out. The results highlight the importance of cultural values for consumers in Arab-Muslim countries, especially …

Introduction: Theorizing The Secular In Tibetan Cultural Worlds, Holly Gayley, Nicole Willock

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This special issue on ‘The Secular in Tibetan Cultural Worlds’ originated in a panel on The Secular in Tibet and Mongolia at the Thirteenth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2013. To contextualize the contributions to this issue, spanning diverse temporal and geographic contexts, this Introduction raises theoretical concerns and discusses contested terminology regarding ‘religion’ and the ‘secular’ in Tibetan discourse. The authors situate local articulations of the secular within broader academic discussions of the varieties of Asian secularisms and offer a key intervention to complicate the secularization thesis and prevailing views of …

Fundamental Image Theory: An Integrated Model Of Trauma, Cassandra K. Sieg

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Historically, trauma theory and intervention has focused on “actual or threatened death or serious injury” (DSM-IV; APA, 1994). More recently, the field has broadened its consideration to a range of trauma and stressor related disorders, including perpetration induced traumautic stress (PITS; MacNair, 2015). Violence perpetration has negative implications on a personal, interpersonal, and group level, but a review of the literature reveals a significant gap in our understanding of perpetration-induced traumatic stress, including 2 fundamental questions: how does perpetrating violence cause trauma, and how can we treat this trauma? None of the existing psychological models adequately answer the first question, …

Religious Aspirations Among Urban Christians In Contemporary Indonesia, Chang Yau Hoon

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Recognizing that the Christians in Indonesia are not a homogeneous group, this article examines the various contested spiritual, social, and political aspirations of urban Christians in the contexts of the historical trajectory of Indonesian modernity, forces of globalization and urbanization, the role of capital, and the development of Islam - the indispensable religious 'Other' to this minority religion in contemporary Indonesia. It sheds light on the ways in which this minority exercises agency in using political participation and social activism as a counterbalance to the growing Islamization of Indonesia, and how they strategically utilize their extensive economic, social, and political …

Less Than Agency: Religious Agency And The System Of Disability, Jasmyn Kopcsandy

Senior Capstone Theses

In the following essay, I will attempt to extend the understanding of disability as a
constitutive system – based on the social model of disability proposed by Mike Oliver – to the discussion of religious agency. I will first ground this theoretical application in a literature review with two areas of focus: (1) the dichotomy of modernity/secularism and religion, and (2) conceptualizations of agency. Specifically, my research question will be: how can “disability” as a category of analysis serve as a lens through which to analyze Western perceptions of religious agency in reference to Muslim women, and how does ableism …

The Wooster Voice (Wooster, Oh), 2016-04-22, Wooster Voice Editors

The Voice: 2012-Present

The Story of the Week for this issue of the Wooster Voice is "Second annual memorial 5K to be held this weekend" in honor of Professor Melissa Schultz. Other news articles include "Students comment on alochol policy" and "Tuition to increase by 4.1 percent." Features articles include "Students present research on Amish culture" and "Student-run Spring Dance Concert to show in ampitheater." Additional articles in the Features section cover the Springtime for the senior class, colloqiually called Camp Woo, and a recognition of service from the College by the nonprofit United Way. In Arts and Entertainment, the Voice covers a …

Towards A Cultural Approach Of Transatlantic Integration, Jorge Arturo Smith Carbajal

Open Access Dissertations

The increasingly complex challenges faced by the Western world since the beginning of the twenty-first century have fostered scholarship on culture and values as important explanatory factors of international relations. Such theoretical shift offers the opportunity to develop new avenues of research. Transatlantic relations are one of them. On the one hand, great emphasis has been placed on security issues in the wake of World War II through NATO and on economic issues in the wake of the world financial crisis through TTIP. On the other hand, although the Euro-American relationship has been characterized by strong differences, it nevertheless shares …

Confronting Evil: The Psychology Of Secularization In Modern French Literature, Scott M. Powers

Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures

Confronting Evil: The Psychology of Secularization in Modern French Literature holds that the concept of evil is central to the psychology of secularism. Drawing on notions of secularization as a phenomenon of ambivalence or dualism in which religion continues to exist alongside secularity in exerting influence on modern French thought, author Scott M. Powers enlists psychoanalytic theory on mourning and sublimation, the philosophical concept of the sublime, Charles Taylor's theory of religious and secular "cross-pressures," and William James's psychology of conversion to account for the survival of religious themes in Baudelaire, Zola, Huysmans, and Céline. For Powers, Baudelaire's prose poems, …

Sharing The Sacred: A Tradition Of Mormon Public Education In Kirtland, Ohio, James Stuart Bielo, Kimberly Blake, Daniel Mcclurkin, Seth Boda

Southern Anthropological Society - Annual Conference

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has a strong tradition of promoting formal education. This includes several initiatives detailing, preserving, and sharing church history at sites of significance, setting these sites apart as sacred space. In summer 2015 I conducted eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork at the Kirtland Historic Village, a recreated 19th century town in northeast Ohio. Historic Kirtland’s status as a sacred LDS space, coupled with its high operating costs and low non-LDS visitor attendance, raises the question of why the site stays open to the general public and free of admission. The use of …

Los Factores Influyentes En Las Perspectivas De Aborto De Los Estudiantes Universitarios En Santiago, Chile: Desde Lo Conservador A Lo Contrario, Victoria Albert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What factors influence the pro-life and pro-choice perspectives of university students in Santiago, Chile? What are these perspectives? Objectives: The general objective of this study is to describe the pro-life and pro-choice perspectives on abortion held by university students in Santiago, Chile, and to describe how factors such as feminism, religion, and the right to life influence these views today. The specific objectives of this study are to define and analyze the way in which these factors work to influence students’ perspectives, as well as identify what percentage of students currently support various types of abortion.

Background: Chile …

Lucumi And The Children Of Cotton: Gender, Race, And Ethnicity In The Mapping Of A Black Atlantic Politics Of Religion, Akissi M. Britton

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation I have examined claims to religious authenticity, purity, legitimacy and authority through the lens of a Black and African American Orisa community in Brooklyn, New York. Through these claims, made both internally and to a broader Orisa community within the United States and throughout different locales in the Black Atlantic, I have articulated how they are more often than not linked to very non-religious aspects of social life. Members of this community, and the broader Orisa Atlantic of which they are a part, do not practice this tradition in a social, cultural, or political vacuum. In fact, …

Religion And Fairness In The Ultimatum Game: Examining Mennonite Beliefs And Actions, Chris D. Gingrich, Ryan Swartzentruber, Jessica H. Kraybill

Journal of Religion and Business Ethics

This study examines religion's impact on ultimatum game outcomes by focusing on Mennonite students, faculty, and staff at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Virginia, USA. Despite doctrinal statements emphasizing community and material concern for the poor, Mennonite offers in the game are not statistically different from other Christian groups. However, there is some indication that the mean offer in this particular sample exceeds those in existing studies. One possible reason for the higher offers could be the EMU campus ethos that emphasizes social justice issues. Also, the higher offer values suggest increased altruism if Proposers correctly foresaw that Responders would …

The Mysterious Case Of The Islamic State Organization (Iso) Smiling Martyr--Solved, Paul Kamolnick

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt: For a mere Muslim mortal, Allah’s granting of martyrdom (Shahada) is the pinnacle of spiritual achievement. The martyr (Shahid) is granted unique privileges among which are the right to bypass the moral interrogation meted out to determine after death whether one is spiritually fit; the complete freedom from all anguish, pain, and suffering caused by one’s wounds as one immediately traverses into the highest of seven heavens; the right to intercede and request divine favors on behalf of seventy of one’s loved one’s; the enjoyment of exclusive sexual privileges with seventy-two virgins; and finally, …

Tears In Heaven: Religiously And Culturally Sensitive Laws For Preventing The Next Pandemic, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod, Aileen M. Marty, Elena Marty-Nelson

Faculty Publications

In February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern” due to the increased clusters of microcephaly, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and other neurological disorders in areas affected by the Zika virus. That declaration came in the wake of the West Africa Ebola crisis. Back to back declarations by WHO of the highest threat level for an international public health emergency underscores how quickly pathogens can now spread and cause devastation across borders. It also highlights the need to implement lessons learned from each pandemic crisis without delay. These crises demonstrate that laws to curtail the …

The Global Struggle For Lgbtq Rights: Legal, Political, And Social Dimensions, Macarena Saez

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Association Of Religious Commitment And Perceived Stress Levels In College Students, Brianna N. Carter

Honors College Theses

Background: College students report a higher level of stress related to daily functioning (Kreig, 2013). First year students who report feeling overwhelmed has doubled in current years while colleges have reported an increase in the use of on-campus counseling services (up 8% over the past three years) (Kreig, 2013; American Psychological Association, 2014). Previous studies in older adult populations link religiousness to better mental health (Moreira-Almeida, Neto, & Koenig, 2006), suggesting that religion can be used as a coping resource when faced with stressful events (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009). Utilizing the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this study …

Leisure Activities Among The Zoroastrians Elderly In Kerman, Iran / Abdolhossein Daneshvarinasab, Daneshvarinasab Abdolhossein

Student Works (2010-2019)

The problem of this study was that how the Zoroastrians’ elderly in Kerman, Iran spend their outdoor leisure time, and what was contribution of leisure activities to religious continuity among them. Based on this problem, the main goal of this study was to explore the leisure activities among the Zoroastrians’ elderly in Kerman, Iran. For this aim, outdoor leisure activities’ patterns, outdoor leisure preferences, and the factors which affect their outdoor leisure activities were examined. In addition, this study explored the perceived leisure constraint among the Zoroastrians’ elderly in order to identify the factors which constraint their leisure preferences and …