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1
Gombay, Katherine. "The black peril and miscegenation : the regulation of inter-racial sexual relations in southern Rhodesia, 1890-1933." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=61072.
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For over forty years, at the turn of this century, the white settlers of Southern Rhodesia devoted considerable energy to the discussion and the regulation of inter-racial sexual relations. The settlers' worries about maintaining their position in power were expressed, in part, in the periodic outbreaks of 'black peril' hysteria, a term which well-captures white fears about the threat that African men were thought to represent to white women. Although voluntary sexual encounters between white women and black men were prohibited from 1903 onwards, no such prohibition existed for white men in their relations with black women. The white women made several attempts to have legislation passed prohibiting such liasons, and failed largely because in doing so they were perceived to be challenging the authority of the white men. The regulation of interracial sexual intercourse thus served to reinforce the white male domination of Rhodesian society.
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Maminimini, Helen Tendayi. "Maturity and its assessment for admission into religious life with particular reference to institutes in Zimbabwe." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/9402.
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Religious profession, by which certain Catholics publicly profess the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience according to ecclesial law, is a juridic act. Consequently, professed members assume certain obligations and rights in the Church. The serious nature of the obligations of religious profession, obliges superiors of religious institutes to be vigilant in admitting into their institutes only those candidates who meet certain requirements. Canon 642 specifies some of these requirements. These are, the required age, health, suitable disposition and sufficient maturity to embrace the proper life of an institute. While it recommends the use of experts in determining the presence of these qualities, if necessary, the canon, also cautions superiors to respect individual privacy (c. 220) in the process. Apart from age which is easy to ascertain, each of the other listed requirements is so abstract, broad and difficult to define that the deliberate choice was made to simply focus our study on "sufficient maturity." The thesis attempts to define religious life and maturity and also explores methods of assessing the maturity required for admission in the novitiate of an institute. Even then, although maturity is mentioned several times in the Code, it is nowhere defined in clear terms seemingly because the law lacks the language and the tools to elaborate on its complex nature. As a result, an analytical inter-dialogue between theology, spirituality, canon law and psychology is used to bridge the gap between the legal requirements and the psychological concepts. The first chapter of the thesis presents a brief description of the essential elements of religious life, based on magisterial documents since the Second Vatican Council. It also defines personal maturity in its several aspects primarily from a psychological point of view. In order to reveal the relationship between the obligations of religious life and the personal maturity that is required for the life in its ideal state, chapter two examines in detail the role maturity plays in living out the three vows, common life and prayer life. In chapter three, the thesis analyses the methods currently used to assess the maturity of candidates admitted into religious life. The two main methods of psychological assessment identified in this study are psychological testing and behavioural assessment. Necessary measures to guard against unlawful violation of individual privacy of candidates during assessment are also discussed. The content of chapter four is centred on the applicability or suitability of the conclusions of our study to religious life in Zimbabwe.
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Huang, Shiun-Wey. "Religious change and continuity among the Ami of Taiwan." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/14412.
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Within a few years of the end of World War Two Christianity had spread to every Taiwanese aboriginal group. Nowadays a variety of Christian churches play an important role in aboriginal society. This study is about conversion to Christianity and its aftermath in an aboriginal village. Fieldwork was conducted among the Ami (one of the nine Taiwanese aboriginal groups), in Iwan, a village on the eastern coastal of Taiwan. In this study the individual interests of social actors are emphasised. I suggest that not only political leaders had special motives (i.e. to pursue political power) in conversion, but also ordinary people had their own interests too (i.e. to pursue a better life in the future). In this sense we might say that the meanings, functions, purposes and aims imputed to religion by converts are arrived at through local dialogues. Religious conversion happened against a historical background of long and sustained contact with colonising immigrants (e.g. Japanese and Chinese). During colonial rule. Ami social life expanded radically and mass conversion took place, in the 1950s, when a common dissatisfaction with life was felt. I argue that relative deprivation was an important factor in this conversion and it became significant because of the emphasis put on it by local political leaders. The adoption of different Christian churches is best understood from the perspective of internal political relations and the careers of political leaders. In general I argue that through the articulations of prominent Ami leaders various external phenomena have been integrated into Ami life and successful articulations have also helped certain political leaders to pursue or maintain their authority.
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Borman, Patricia D. "Spirituality and religiosity and their relationship to the quality of life in oncology patients." Virtual Press, 1999. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1159141.
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As the efficacy of cancer treatments has improved and the life span for cancer patients has extended, interest in patients' quality of life has increased. Assessing patients' quality of life continues to gain importance as it impacts numerous facets of oncology. Similarly, interest in spirituality and religiosity have increased as they become recognized as resources for healing in health care. This study examined spirituality and religiosity and their relationship with quality of life in cancer patients. Additional variables such as age, gender, and stage of cancer were also examined for their relationship to quality of life in cancer patients. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to determine if spirituality, religiosity, age, gender, and stage of cancer are predictors of cancer patients' quality of life. The analysis indicated that patients with higher levels of spirituality tend to experience better quality of life, and patients with more advanced stages of cancer tend to experience lower quality of life. Religiosity, age, and gender were not predictors of cancer patients' quality of life.Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
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Harper, Sally. "Medieval English Benedictine liturgy : studies in the formation, structure, and content of the monastic votive office, c. 950-1540." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1989. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:639874f5-7097-4ee1-a282-4dd82003c309.
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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.
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Frith, Tabitha 1975. "Reflexive Islam : the rationalisation and re-enchantment of religious identity in Malaysia." Monash University, School of Political and Social Inquiry, 2001. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9116.
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Drum, Mary Therese, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Women, religion and social change in the Philippines: Refractions of the past in urban filipinas' religious practices today." Deakin University. School of Social Inquiry, 2001. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20060825.115435.
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This research is an exploration of the place of religious beliefs and practices in the life of contemporary, predominantly Catholic, Filipinas in a large Quezon City Barangay in Metro Manila. I use an iterative discussion of the present in the light of historical studies, which point to women in pre-Spanish Filipino society having been the custodians of a rich religious heritage and the central performers in a great variety of ritual activities. I contend that although the widespread Catholic evangelisation, which accompanied colonisation, privileged male religious leadership, Filipinos have retained their belief in feminine personages being primary conduits of access to spiritual agency through which the course of life is directed. In continuity with pre-Hispanic practices, religious activities continue to be conceived in popular consciousness as predominantly womens sphere of work in the Philippines. I argue that the reason for this is that power is not conceived as a unitary, undifferentiated entity. There are gendered avenues to prestige and power in the Philippines, one of which directly concerns religious leadership and authority. The legitimacy of religious leadership in the Philippines is heavily dependent on the ability to foster and maintain harmonious social relations. At the local level, this leadership role is largely vested in mature influential women, who are the primary arbiters of social values in their local communities. I hold that Filipinos have appropriated symbols of Catholicism in ways that allow for a continuation and strengthening of their basic indigenous beliefs so that Filipinos religious beliefs and practices are not dichotomous, as has sometimes been argued. Rather, I illustrate from my research that present day urban Filipinos engage in a blend of formal and informal religious practices and that in the rituals associated with both of these forms of religious practice, women exercise important and influential roles. From the position of a feminist perspective I draw on individual womens articulation of their life stories, combined with my observation and participation in the religious practices of Catholic women from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, to discuss the role of Filipinas in local level community religious leadership. I make interconnections between womens influence in this sphere, their positioning in family social relations, their role in the celebration of All Saints and All Souls Days in Metro Manilas cemeteries and the ubiquity and importance of Marian devotions. I accompany these discussions with an extensive body of pictorial plates.
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Armstrong, John Malcolm. "Religious attendance and affiliation patterns in Australia 1966 to 1996 : the dichotomy of religious identity and practice." View thesis entry in Australian Digital Theses Program, 2001. http://thesis.anu.edu.au/public/adt-ANU20020729.140410/index.html.
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Morton, A. "The historical development of Roman religion in Pannonia from AD 9 to 285." Thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683048.
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Murisa, Tendai. "An analysis of emerging forms of social organisation and agency in the aftermath of 'fast track' land reform in Zimbabwe." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003081.
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The fast track land reform programme resulted in a fundamental reorganisation of rural relations in Zimbabwe, changing the landscape in an irreversible way with people from diverse backgrounds converging on former white-owned farms. This thesis tells the story of how the newly resettled land beneficiaries are organising themselves socially in response to various economic challenges. It makes a contribution towards understanding how redistributive land reforms and local government restructuring influence rural social organisation and agency. Furthermore the study examines local perceptions on the meanings of the „farm‟ and „land redistribution‟. An utterance by one war veteran “what used to be your farm is now our land and you are free to take your farm but leave our land” provides an alternative rendition to contestations of restitution versus a purely farm productionist discourse. The study, through an analysis of primary and secondary data, provides a fresh understanding of the social outcomes of fast track. It traces the evolution of land and agrarian reforms in post-independence Zimbabwe and the political and social economic context that led to „fast track‟. Through an analysis of field findings the thesis is able to define the dominant social groups that were resettled during fast track and the challenges they face in utilising the land. The findings show that the majority of the land beneficiaries were from the customary areas, with limited agricultural experiences. Local cooperation within informal networks and local farmer groups has been identified as one of the ways in which social reproduction is being organised. These groups are responsible for enhancing production capacity but they face a number of constraints. The study derives its theoretical foundation from the post 1980s debates on rural society dominated by Mafeje (1993, 2003), Rahmato (1991) and Mamdani (1996). The debates centred on how institutions of inclusion, authority and cooperation such as the lineage groups, local farmer groups and traditional authority remain relevant in the organisation of post-independent rural African society especially in a context of increased commoditisation of rural relations of production. Using theoretical insights derived from analysing the role of the lineage groups in the allocation of critical resources such as land and the influence of traditional authority (indirect rule) as a form of local government, the study examines how social organisation is emerging in areas where neither lineage nor traditional authority are not dominant. The thesis of rural cooperation through local groups as advanced by Rahmato (1991) and Moyo (2002) provides partial insights into the response mechanisms that land beneficiaries invoke in this instance. It is not necessarily an autonomous space of organisation but rather the state is actively involved through various functionaries including extension officers who invariably advance a very productionist approach. The state‟s monopoly through its local functionaries hides its political cooptation effect by emphasising organisation for production without questioning the manner in which that production is externally controlled through limited rights over land, the state‟s monopoly over inputs supply and markets for commodities. Whilst land reform has been driven by local participation through land occupations, local government reform has been technocratically determined through Ministerial directives. There is however little innovation in the form of local government that is being introduced. It expands the fusion of authority between elected Rural District Councils and unelected traditional authority functionaries. The forms of social organisation and agency that have emerged remain subordinated to the state with no links to other networks of rural producers‟ associations and urban civil society organisations. These developments form part of a longheld tradition within the Zimbabwean state where the legitimacy of local organisation and authority is usurped to service the interests of the state. Thus whilst land reform has to a certain extent accommodated the majority poor, the ensuing local government and agrarian reforms are more focused on limiting their participation in broader processes of political engagement around distribution and accumulation and their own governance.
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Ndhlovu, Ketiwe. "An investigation of strategies used by Ndebele translators in Zimbabwe in translating HIV/AIDS texts: a corpus-based approach." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/524.
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In Zimbabwe, translation studies is yet to be recognized as a discipline worthy of study in its own right, hence, not much research has been carried out into the theory and practice of translation. Furthermore, there is no tertiary institution that offers professional translation courses. In light of this information most translations are carried out by untrained/partially trained translators with only a few translators who have gained experience over time. The aim of this study was to investigate strategies used by Ndebele translators in the translation of specialized terms and cultural taboos in selected HIV/AIDS texts, as well as factors that can be used to improve the translation situation of Zimbabwe. Three main theoretical approaches were used in a complementary fashion, namely Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), Cultural Studies and Corpus-based Translation Studies (CTS). DTS provided the researcher with a theory to understand the Ndebele translations in their wider environment; Cultural Studies provided the researcher with the means by which to understand Ndebele culture and taboos; Corpus-based Translation Studies (CTS) provided the researcher with the methodological tools and analytical techniques to analyse the corpus of texts. An English-Ndebele Parallel Corpus (ENPC) was created using fourteen English source texts and their corresponding Ndebele translations. The ENPC was interrogated by means of ParaConc, a parallel concordancing program. The study found that when translating specialised terms, Ndebele translators used strategies such as a general or neutral word, cultural substitution, paraphrasing and omission. The strategy of omission was misused in most cases because Ndebele translators omitted valuable information which did not reach the target readers. With regards to translation strategies that contributed to term creation, it was found that Ndebele translators relied on external as well as internal resources. The translators used strategies such as pure loan words; pure loan words preceeded by an explanation and indigenised loan words. From the Ndebele language itself, the translators resorted to semantic shift, compounding, coinage and paraphrasing, among others. From the ENPC it is clear that Ndebele translators did manage to transfer the message from English to Ndebele to an extent. However, the ENPC has to be used with caution by other researchers since the translations included in the corpus are full of errors such as misinterpretations of the source texts, mistranslations, incorrect terms and incorrect orthography. This factor points to a dire need to establish translation as an academic discipline and profession in Zimbabwe so as to elevate the quality of translations and offer better translation services to all users.
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Goodwin, Grant. ""Why Persephone?" investigating the unique position of Persephone as a dying god(dess) offering hope for the afterlife." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017896.
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Persephone’s myth is unique, as it was the central narrative of one of the most prominent ancient mystery religions, and remains one of the few (certainly the most prominent) ancient Greek myths to focus on the relationship of a mother and her daughter. This unique focus must have offered her worshippers something important that they perhaps could not find elsewhere, especially as a complex and elaborate cult grew around it, transforming the divine allegory of the changing seasons or the storage of the grain beneath the earth, into a narrative offering hope for a better place in the afterlife. To understand the appeal of this myth, two aspects of her worship and mythic significance require study: the expectations of her worshippers for their own lives, to which the goddess may have been seen as a forerunner; and the mythic frameworks operating which would characterise the goddess for her worshippers. The myth, as described in The Hymn to Demeter, is initially interpreted for its literary meaning, and then set within its cultural milieu to uncover what meaning it may have had for Persephone’s worshippers, particularly in terms of marriage and death, which form the initial motivating action of the myth. From this socio-anthropological study we turn to the mythic patterns and motifs the story offers, particularly the figure of the goddess of the Underworld (primarily in the influential Mesopotamian literature), and the Dying-Rising God figure (similarly derived from the Near East). These figures, when compared to the Greek goddess, may both reveal her unique appeal, and highlight the common attractions that lie in the figures generally. By this two-part investigation, on the particular culture’s expectations and the general mythic framework she exists in, Persephone’s meaning in her native land may be uncovered and understood.
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Fan, HaiYan (LingLing), and University of Lethbridge Faculty of Arts and Science. "Medical encounters in "closed religious communities" : palliative care for Low German-Speaking Mennonite people." Thesis, Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Anthropology and Health Sciences, 2011, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10133/3079.
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This multi-sited ethnography focuses on beliefs and practices associated with death,
dying, and palliative care among the Low German-Speaking (LGS) Mennonites. The
qualitative data, collected through participant-observation fieldwork and interviews
conducted in three LGS Mennonite communities in Mexico and Canada, show a gap
between official definitions of palliative care and its practice in real life. The LGS
Mennonites’ care for their dying members, in reality, is integrated into their community
lives that emphasize or reinforce discipleship by promoting the practices of mutual aid,
social networks, and brotherhood/sisterhood among community members. This study
also offers ethnographic insights into some difficulties that healthcare providers face
while delivering the “holistic” palliative care services to their patients in general, and to
the LGS Mennonites in particular. Finally, it provides some suggestions that may aid
healthcare providers in developing culturally safe and competent health care services
for the LGS Mennonite people living in Canada.xi, 231 leaves ; 29 cm
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Kingsbury, Kate. "New Mouride movements in Dakar and the diaspora." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.669764.
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Bendlin, Andreas E. "Social complexity and religion at Rome in the second and first centuries BCE." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1998. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5591ee29-9497-4a1a-a1f2-9bbc56af7879.
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This thesis studies the religious system of the city of Rome and its immediate hinterland from the end of the Second Punic War to the emergence of autocratic rule shortly before the turn of the millennium. The Romans lacked a separate word for 'religion'. Scholars therefore hold that modern notions of religion, due to their Christianizing assumptions, cannot be applied to Roman religion, which consisted in public and social religious observance rather than in individual spirituality. The first chapter argues that Roman religion can be conceptualized as a system of social religious behaviour and individual motivational processes. A comparative definition of 'religion', which transcends Christianizing assumptions, is proposed to support this argument. In chapter two, modern interpretations of Roman religion, which view Republican religion as a 'closed system' in which religion is undifferentiated from politics and from public life, are criticized. It is argued that these interpretations start from unwarranted preconceptions concerning the interrelation of religion and society. Instead, I suggest that we should apply the model of an 'open system': the religious system at Rome was interrelated with its environment, but at the same time it could be conceptualized as being differentiated from other realms of social activity at Rome. Chapter three refutes the view that the identity of religion at Rome can be described by models of political or cultural identity. Instead, religious communication in Late Republican Rome was characterized by contextual rather than by substantive meanings. The fluidity of religious meaning in Late Republican Rome, a metropolis of nearly 1,000,000 inhabitants, implies that normative definitions of the constituents of Roman religion fail to convince. In relation to coloniae and municipia it is attempted to show that the religious system of Rome, a local religion geared to the physical city and its immediate hinterland, was not capable of becoming a universal religion. In the fourth chapter, the parameters organizing Roman religion are discussed. My thesis is that Roman religion in the Late Republic was decentralized in that religious authority was diffused and religious responsibilities were divided. In the city of Rome, there existed a market of religious alternatives, which was characterized by the compatibility of different deities and cults in a polytheistic context.
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McKinnon, Margot. "Conceptualizing religion and spirituality in secular schools : a qualitative study of Albertan schooling." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:09e062bb-20cc-4edf-af43-a9c06ec5fa44.
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Over most of the 20th Century, many educational systems around the world became increasingly secular, notably with lessening involvement of religious institutions. However, what it means to offer secular education to an increasingly diverse student population is emerging as a contemporary international educational issue. The face of immigration, the rights of Aboriginals, and increasingly diverse and individual forms of religiosity and spirituality have implications for secular education today. This qualitative study of Alberta schooling provides an example of a setting that underwent a high degree of secularization in the 1960's-1980's. A litigious but interpretive boundary exists for the extent educationists were to engage students in thinking about religion and spirituality. Yet, teachers operated with a high degree of autonomy. With these contextual factors as a backdrop, this study explored how a hierarchical sample of Alberta policy-makers, administrators, and teachers conceptualized religion and spirituality for secular secondary schools. Results show that Alberta Education conceptualized space for the conservative religious and Aboriginal communities, but not mainstream students. The students operated in a 'leave your faith at the door' secular model, curriculum was rationalized, and the function of schooling was perceived as preparing students for work. Findings show that principals and teachers challenged the lack of space for mainstream students to engage in the concepts of religion and spirituality. They argued the secular model disadvantaged mainstream students in exercising their right to religious freedom and developing religious literacy and sensitivity skills and it also prevented non-religious students from gaining access to religious/spiritual concepts and tools to facilitate wellbeing and resiliency.
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Berliner, David. ""Nous sommes les derniers bulonic": sur une impossible transmission dans une société d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Guinée-Conakry)." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/211423.
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Ozdemir, Aygul. "The Policies Of The Roman Emperors In The Process Of Christianisation Between The Fourth And The Sixth Centuries." Master's thesis, METU, 2003. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/1083260/index.pdf.
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This thesis analyzes the Christianisation process of the Roman Empire from the time of Constantine the Great to that of Justinian. The purposes of the ecumenical councils and the codes on the religious issues will be discussed in the framework of the religious policies of the emperors in that time. Between the time of Constantine and that of Justinian the Roman Empire became Christian Roman Empire. The Christianisation of the Roman Empire will be dealt with both from the religious and political point of view in this thesis.
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Slivkoff, Paulina Matvei. "The formation and contestation of Molokan identities and communities : the Australian experience." University of Western Australia. School of Social and Cultural Studies, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0084.
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[Truncated abstract] Molokans are a Russian sectarian community that has been a transnational diasporic community since their exile from southern Russia in 1839. During the 1839 exodus they were relocated to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. These countries make up a region referred to by Molokans as Transcaucasia located in and around the Caucasus Mountains. A further migration to Turkmenistan followed in 1889. Since that time, Molokans have settled in Iran, the United States of America, Mexico, Australia and Brazil. The colonies in Brazil and Mexico have disbanded with members re-joining Molokan communities in the United States of America and Australia. The communities remain in contact with one another and with various Molokan communities still existing in the Russian Soviet Socialist Federal Republic. Molokans are characterised by a religious structure of lay ministers and elders in a traditional, patriarchal social community. They are a collectivity of churches (there is no hierarchy between the churches) and sub-groups who practise varying degrees of adherence to Molokan dogma. They are a millenarian, charismatic religious community similar to Pentecostals and Anabaptists with the exception that they have ceased to evangelise and have become ‘closed’ communities practising endogamy. Given their closed structure, relatively little is known about this group in mainstream society . . . Spirituality, in the form of prophecy, healing, and the shared expression of religious ecstasy (rejoicing in the Holy Spirit) provides a sense of communitas that helps to bind the communities. Persecution in Russia and in the United States of America promoted mistrust of outsiders and contributed to the closure of social boundaries. Interventionist and reform activities in both Russia and the United States of America reinforced the belief that social closure was the only way to maintain cultural continuity. Their shared history of migration and persecution contributes to the building of a core community identity.
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Dolley, Daniel. "Manifestations of the dead : investigating ghost encounters among the Tsachila of western Ecuador." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ba33665f-01f3-4a9f-90fb-892f4aa576ab.
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Focusing on the Tsachila, Amerindians of western Ecuador, this thesis examines how competing "common knowledge" accounts of the afterlife (conventional Tsachi, Catholic, and Protestant) are related to experiences of encounters with ghosts. Inspired by conversation analysis it advocates the study of these encounters through close attention to how accounts of them are constructed in conversation, from which they emerge as inherently disruptive and resistant to any definitive interpretation. From this starting point a descriptive account is given of the ways in which these anomalous experiences form the background to everyday life among the Tsachila. Experiential associations are identified linking ghosts with the circadian patterns of sound, light and sociality. Next the thesis examines and compares a selection of myths depicting the dead and animals and it is shown that the boundaries between myth and everyday life and between the living and the dead are uncertain and subject to revision in the light of experience. They cannot be taken for granted but must be constantly reinforced. An example of such reinforcement is provided by the Tsachi celebration of the Catholic Day of the Dead, and it is shown how this intersects with and is inflected by Tsachi attitudes to the dead and their disposal. In the final chapter a selection of accounts of personal encounters with ghosts is examined to reveal ways in which the common knowledge previously discussed is shaped, deployed and contested in the context of these accounts. It is suggested, in conclusion, that personal experience of this kind cannot be treated as simply a cultural expression, but that it exerts a motivating and disruptive force on thought and action.
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Risk, Shannon M. "A Search For Sweet Serenity : The Diary Of Sarah Connell Ayer, 1805-1835." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 1996. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/RiskSM1996.pdf.
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Lei, Sao San. "Savoring the hybrid :an ethnographic study of Guan Yin ritual and belief in Macao." Thesis, University of Macau, 2011. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b2568805.
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Chande, Abdin Noor. "Islam, Islamic leadership and community development in Tanga, Tanzania." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=39277.
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This study which focusses on a coastal Swahili society, examines the economic, political and social evolution of the Tangan Muslim community through the various phases of its history. The study pays specific attention to the role played by religious leaders, whether as competitors, or simply as madrasa teachers in a community with a tradition of Islamic scholarship. At the macro-level, the relationship between various Muslim organizations and the state also receives our scrutiny. This is done through analysis of the educational system and its structuring of the social order. Finally, we assess the views of the Tangan religious leadership regarding religion and society against a general discussion of intra-religious issues and political developments in the country, thereby achieving a better understanding of Islam in contemporary Tanzania.
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Du, Preez Petrus. "Ikoon en Medium: die toneelpop, masker en akteurmanipuleerder in Afrika-performances." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/620.
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Luker, David. "Cornish Methodism, revivalism, and popular belief, c. 1780-1870." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1988. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:fe395cb7-7a81-40ee-9aaf-7cc8a5b5b593.
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In this regional study of Methodist development and societal influence throughout the period of industrialisation, recent trends in Methodist historiography at a national level are combined with the research and source material accumulated at a local level, to provide a detailed analysis of Methodist growth in Cornwall between the years 1780 and 1870. The thesis is divided loosely into three sections. In the first, four chapters outline the essential background to interpretative analysis by considering, in turn, recent historiographical developments in Methodist studies; social change in Cornwall during industrialisation; the performance of the Anglican Church in the county as represented in the Visitation Returns for 1779, (as well as historical and structural reasons for its 'failure'); and Methodist growth as expressed through available statistical indices, especially the date of formation of Methodist societies, and the 1851 Ecclesiastical Census. In the second section, one long chapter is devoted to an in-depth, county-wide analysis of Methodist growth, which considers the impact of external factors, particularly socio-economic, and internal circumstances, such as the degree of maturity of pastoral and administrative machinery, and the level of Connexional or lay control over chapel and circuit affairs, on the form and function of Methodism in nine distinct socioeconomic regions within the county. In the third section, four chapters concentrate on West Cornwall, where Methodism was strongest, in order to examine the roots of, and reasons for, the distinctively indigenous form of Methodism which developed there. On the one hand, the pastoral and administrative difficulties in exerting adequate Connexional control are considered; while on the other, an interpretation of the 'folk' functionality of revivals and of Methodism as a 'popular religion' is offered.
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Ross, Eric 1962. "Ṭûbâ : an African eschatology in Islam." Thesis, McGill University, 1996. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=40435.
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The thesis "Tuba: an African eschatology in Islam" adopts afrocentric hypotheses for the study of Islam. First, the thesis demonstrates how certain phenomena specific to Islam in Africa, those usually qualified as products of religious syncretism, are on the contrary indicative of the ongoing process of synthesis and enrichment within Islam, and, secondly, that African spiritual tradition continues today as in the past to participate along with others in this constructive process. In order to demonstrate this hypothesis the spiritual significance of the modern Islamic holy city of Touba in Senegal will be analyzed.Touba is named for the Tree of Paradise (Tuba) of Islamic tradition and the holy city has been constructed around the singular arboreal image. The spiritual meaning imparted by Touba, a deliberate creation, is expressed in the topography of the holy city, in its geographic configuration. The thesis adapts the methodologies of spatial analysis, and specifically the semiotic reading of landscape, to the study of a religious phenomenon, i.e., the creation of a holy city.
in order to explain the significance of this holy city for Islamic eschatology, the meanings which three distinct religious traditions (Islam, West Africa, Ancient Egypt) have attached to the image of the cosmic tree are inventoried. The tree as archetype here serves to establish the continuity of African religious thought from pharaonic Egypt to modern Muslim Senegal.
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Lackner, Dennis Finn. "Humanism and administration in the Camaldolese Order (1480-1513)." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.670209.
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Hilmy, Masdar. "Islam and Javanese acculturation : textual and contextual analysis of the slametan ritual." Thesis, McGill University, 1998. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=21218.
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This Thesis deals with the cultural encounter between Islam and Javanese culture as represented by the slametan ritual. The major purposes of this thesis are threefold; (1) to give a brief account of the historical backdrop of the encounter between Islam and the Javanese tradition; (2) to discuss the ongoing dispute among scholars over whether the slametan is animistic, syncretistic or Islamic; and (3) to provide a new perspective on the slametan ritual based upon textual (religious) and contextual (socio-cultural) analysis.The hypothesis underlying this work is that the slametan is a prototype of syncretistic ritual, the representative of Islamic elements---as its core---on the one hand, and local traditions---as its periphery---on the other. This work will argue against the theory of the slametan developed both by Geertz and Woodward. The first scholar sees the slametan from a socio-cultural perspective only, while the latter views it on an Islamic theological basis. The current writer argues that one should employ a holistic perspective to see the slametan comprehensively; both from "inside" (religious perspective) and "outside" (cultural perspective).
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Droux, Xavier. "Riverine and desert animals in predynastic Upper Egypt : material culture and faunal remains." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:d6d885a7-86f9-4d51-b4d5-bb21b26d2897.
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Animals were given a preponderant position in Egyptian art, symbolism, and cultual practices. This thesis centres on the relationship between humans and animals during the predynastic period in Upper Egypt (Naqada I-IIIB, 4th millennium BCE), focusing on hippopotamus and crocodile as representatives of the Nile environment and antelope species as representatives of the desert environment. Depictions of these animals are analysed and compared with contemporary faunal remains derived from activities such as cult, funerary, or every day consumption. The material analysed covers several centuries: temporal evolutions and changes have been identified. The animals studied in this thesis were first used by the Naqada I-IIB elites as means to visually and practically express their power, which they envisioned in two contrasting and complementary ways. The responsibilities of the leaders were symbolised by the annihilation of negative wild forces primarily embodied by antelope species. In contrast, they symbolically appropriated positive wild forces, chief among them being the hippopotamus, from which they symbolically derived their power. Faunal remains from after mid-Naqada II are few, depictions of hippopotamus disappeared and those of crocodile became rare. Antelope species became preponderant, especially on D-ware vessels, which were accessible to non-elite people. However, toward the end of the predynastic period, antelope species came to be depicted almost exclusively on high elite material; they lost their individuality and became generic representatives of chaotic forces that the leaders and early rulers had to annihilate in order to maintain control and order.
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Heffron, Yağmur. "Household ritual in Middle Bronze Age Anatolia : an archaeological-textual study." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609540.
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Basson, Danielle. "The Goddess Hathor and the women of ancient Egypt." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20292.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In studying ancient Egypt researchers have a great advantage, in that there is a multitude of recorded material to draw from. Unfortunately for anyone interested in studying ancient Egyptian women, the recorded material was most often recorded by, commissioned by, and concerned with, men; royal or high-ranking men to be precise (Robins, 1993: 11-12). Thus, we must look into non-textual artefacts and offerings which may have a symbolic meaning. Though, the textual sources should not be neglected, since these may hold clues to the position and perception of women in society: perceptions held by men. This thesis has drawn largely on art and artefacts to investigate the relationship between women in ancient Egypt and the goddess Hathor. Women are traditionally the mothers, caretakers and homemakers of society. But they are not only that. Women are also individuals, capable of individual thought, feelings, anxieties, hopes and dreams; and like their male counterparts, women also experience religion. But, as was clearly displayed in the thesis, Egyptian women not only experienced religion, they lived religion. In the ancient Egyptian context there was no escaping religion. It must also be understood that the ancient Egyptians thought that the man was the seat of creation and that semen was the essence of creation (according to the cosmogony of Heliopolis, cf. Cooney, 2008: 2). A failure to conceive would be placed directly upon the shoulders of the woman, and could be grounds enough for divorce (Robins, 1993: 63). Women in ancient societies served the main function of child-rearing. This may seem backward, but it was an essential function, without which society would cease to function. When a woman failed to conceive, she in essence failed her function as a woman; many women (and men) in this situation turned to religion. This is where this thesis topic comes into play, since Hathor was a goddess of sexuality and fertility, but also had aspects of safeguarding and caretaking. Women were naturally drawn to her and she developed a large cult following, with cult centres scattered throughout Egypt. Not only were many of her followers female, but her priests were also female (Gillam, 1995: 211-212). Hathor might have been the most relatable of the goddesses because of her dual-nature; she is a caretaker and sexual being, but she can also become fierce and even bloodthirsty. Devotion to Hathor was widespread, with cult centres at Deir el-Bahari, Faras, Mirgissa, Serabit el-Khadim, Timna, Gebel Zeit and elsewhere, each with its own large deposit of votive offerings (Pinch, 1993). Hathor is also referenced in letters between females in a family, as one daughter writes to her mother: “May Hathor gladden you for my sake” (Wente, 1990: 63). It is because of this that this thesis investigated to what an extent ancient Egyptian women had a relationship with her.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die ondersoek van ou Egipte, het navorsers `n groot voordeel, deurdat daar `n groot verskeidenheid bronne beskikbaar is om mee te werk. Ongelukkig, vir enigeen wat daarin geïnteresseerd is om die antieke Egiptiese vrou na te vors, is die meerderheid van die bronne deur mans opgeteken, of in opdrag van hulle, en het ook betrekking op mans; koninklike of hooggeplaaste mans, om meer spesifiek te wees (Robins, 1993: 11-12). Daarom, moet ons ook ongeskrewe artefakte en offerandes bestudeer, wat moontlik simboliese betekenisse kan inhou. Dit beteken egter nie dat ons wel geskrewe bronne moet ignoreer nie, aangesien dit tog leidrade oor die posisie van vroue in die samelewing en hoe hulle deur mans beskou is, kan verskaf. Hierdie tesis het grootliks gebruik maak van kuns en artefakte om die verhouding tussen die vroue van antieke Egipte en die godin Hathor na te vors. Volgens tradisie, is vrouens die moeders, oppassers en tuisteskeppers van `n gemeenskap, maar hulle is nie net dit nie. Vroue is ook individue, in staat tot hul eie gedagtes, gevoelens, vrese, hoop en drome; en nes hul manlike eweknieë, kan vroue ook geloof ervaar. Maar, soos duidelik in die tesis uiteengesit is, het Egiptiese vroue nie net geloof ervaar nie, maar geloof geleef. In die antieke Egiptiese konteks was geloof onontkombaar. Die leser moet ook verstaan dat die antieke Egiptenare geglo het dat die man die skeppingsbron was and dat semen die kern van die skepping was (volgens die Heliopolis Kosmogonie, vgl. Cooney, 2008: 2). Indien „n egpaar probleme ondervind het om swanger te raak, het die blaam direk op die vrou se skouers gerus en was ook `n aanvaarde rede vir egskeiding (Robins, 1993: 63). Vroue in antieke gemeenskappe het hoofsaaklik gedien om kinders groot te maak. Dit mag dalk “agterlik” voorkom, maar dit was `n essensiële rol, waarsonder die gemeenskap nie sou kon funksioneer nie. Indien `n vrou nie kon swanger word nie, het sy in essensie in haar doel as `n vrou misluk; daarom het baie vroue (en mans) in hierdie situasie hulle na godsdiens gekeer. Dit is hier waar hierdie tesis aansluit, aangesien Hathor `n godin van seksualiteit en vrugbaarheid was, maar ook aspekte van beskerming en versorging gehad het. Vroue was natuurlik tot haar aangetrokke, `n groot gevolg het om haar kultus versamel en kultus-sentrums het deur Egipte versprei. Nie net was haar navolgers vroulik nie, maar ook haar priesters was vroulik (Gillam, 1995: 211-212). Hathor was moontlik die godin waarmee die mense die maklikste kon identifiseer, omdat sy `n tweeledige natuur gehad het; sy was `n versorger en `n seksuele wese, maar sy kon ook kwaai en bloeddorstig raak. Die aanbidding van Hathor was wydverspreid, met kultus-sentrums by Deir el-Bahari, Faras, Mirgissa, Serabit el-Khadim, Timna, Gebel Zeit en elders, elk met sy eie groot versameling artefakte (Pinch, 1993). Hathor word ook benoem in briewe tussen vroulike familielede, soos een dogter aan haar moeder skryf: “Mag Hathor jou bly maak vir my onthalwe” (Wente, 1990: 63). Dit is hoekom hierdie tesis nagevors het tot wat `n mate daar `n verhouding tussen antieke Egiptiese vroue en Hathor bestaan het.
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Treacy, Susan. "English Devotional Song of the Seventeenth Century in Printed Collections from 1638 to 1693: A Study of Music and Culture." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1986. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc331253/.
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Seventeenth-century England witnessed profound historical, theological, and musical changes. A king was overthrown and executed; religion was practiced fervently and disputed hotly; and English musicians fell under the influence of the Italian stile nuovo. Many devotional songs were printed, among them those which reveal influences of this style. These English-texted sacred songs for one to three solo voices with continuo--not based upon a previously- composed hymn or psalm tune—are emphasized in this dissertation. Chapter One treats definitions, past neglect of the genre by scholars, and the problem of ambiguous terminology. Chapter Two is an examination of how religion and politics affected musical life, the hiatus from liturgical music from 1644 to 1660 causing composers to contribute to the flourishing of devotional music for home worship and recreation. Different modes of seventeenth-century devotional life are discussed in Chapter Three. Chapter Four provides documentation for use of devotional music, diaries and memoirs of the period revealing the use of several publications considered in this study. Baroque musical aesthetics applied to devotional song and its raising of the affections towards God are discussed in Chapter Five. Chapter Six traces the influence of Italian monody and sacred concerto on English devotional song. The earliest compositions by an Englishman working in the stile nuovo are Henry Lawes' 1638 hymn tunes with continuo. Collections of two- and three-voice compositions by Child, the Lawes brothers, Wilson, and Porter, published from 1639 to 1657, comprise Chapter Seven, as well as early devotional works of Locke. Chapter Eight treats Restoration devotional song-- compositions for one to three voices and continuo, mostly of a more secular and dramatic style than works discussed in earlier. The outstanding English Baroque composers--Locke, Humfrey, Blow, and Purcell--are represented, and the apex of this style is found in the latest seventeenth-century publication of devotional song, Henry Playford's Harmonia sacra, (1688, 1693).
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Parkes, Henry Richard Maclay. "Liturgy and music in Ottonian Mainz, 950-1025." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2012. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/283895.
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Lee, Christine Shen-Chirng. "The power and the glory : belief, sacramentality and native Andean Catholic priests in Talavera, Peru." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16549.
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In Talavera, a small town in the rural south-central Peruvian Andes, Catholicism is deeply rooted in local institutions, society and history. I explore Talaveran Catholicism primarily through the eyes of the priests and the core parish community, and in doing so seek to contribute to the anthropology of Christianity, including the anthropology of Catholicism, and the anthropology of the Andes. Engaging with dominant models in the anthropology of Christianity of Christianity as a religion of conversion and radical discontinuity, I argue that in Talavera, such models no longer ring true for local Catholics: instead, Christian conversion is long forgotten and taken for granted, while Christianity is an important source of continuity with the past. This is related to the activities of the current generation of Catholic priests in Talavera, who are locally native and who by and large tend to be more sympathetic to local Andean Catholic traditions as a result—but without subscribing to dominant anthropological framings for pro-Andean sentiment. Instead, I draw on David Brown's formulation of Christian tradition to argue for a new anthropological model views the ‘syncretic' aspects of Andean Catholicism as simply part of Catholicism in general. Following the emphasis on incorporating theology, I subsequently argue that we need to take seriously Catholic notions of sacramentality as an ontological transformation—a theme throughout the majority of the thesis. I argue that sacramentality underlies how Catholic priests can be simultaneously divine and human through the sacrament of ordination; structures clerical-lay relations in Catholic parishes by creating the space for lay assistants to carry out the work of priests without becoming priests themselves; and causes membership of the Catholic Church, thereby leaving belief to carry out the work of improving, rather than effecting, one's Catholic-ness.
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Depold, Jennifer Rene. "The martial Christ in the sermons of late medieval England." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b7820bbc-d971-4252-95a5-351166102514.
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Current scholarship on the devotional practices of late medieval England has emphasized two representations of Christ. The first, considered the dominant trend, is that of the suffering Christ; the second, a minor, but important trend particularly for female audiences, is the maternal Christ. Both are revealing of the nature of late medieval Christo-centric devotion. This project contributes to the understanding of late medieval Christocentric devotion in England during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by examining the representation of Christ in a martial role, as presented to clerical and lay audiences through the medium of popular sermons. It is a new contribution to the scholarship of late medieval devotion in its demonstration of a multifaceted Christ; the martial Christ echoes, but in many ways also contrasts, the images of the suffering and maternal Christ, in order to provide its audience with a more complex rendering of the human Christ, one which may have been more accessible to a lay populace seeking to form a relationship with him. This project also contributes to the growing field of sermon studies, intended to be comprehensive in nature. It uses a different approach to sermon studies, in that the entire corpus of nearly 4,500 sermons was reviewed. This was done in order to provide the most complete picture of the martial Christ. As a result, this project examines Christ in various martial roles, as well as his modelling of knighthood for kings, knights, preachers, and the laity. These representations were utilised by preachers to instruct their audiences in devotional practice, specifically forms of affective meditation; it was used as a didactic tool to teach the laity the complex doctrines of redemption and atonement; and finally, it was employed as a means to demonstrate the importance of right living in order to fulfill what Christ had promised on the cross, that is eternal salvation.
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Ashraf, Mujeeba. "Experiences of young adult Muslim second generation immigrants in Britain : beyond acculturation." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/8099.
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This research is an attempt to understand the living experiences of young adult Muslim SGIs, in Britain. This research advocates to understand their living experiences from the perspective of social identity approach which discusses multiple dimensions of identity, unlike acculturation theory which focuses on a mono dimension of identity. This research introduced a multiple social identity model for Muslim SGIs. Contrary to the previous literature, the first study, the interview study, revealed that they explained their conflicts with their non-Muslim British peers and with their parents on the basis of non-shared identity. With their non-Muslim British peers they shared cultural (national) identity, therefore, they explained their conflicts in terms of different religious values (practices); with their parents they shared religious identity, therefore they explained their conflicts in terms of different cultural (ethnic) values and practices. They argued that their parents practise various cultural practices in the name of Islam, and Muslim SGIs distinguished Islam from their parents' culture, and identified with the former, not the latter, and attributed their conflicts to their parents' cultural values. In addition, they explained that their religious identity enables them to deal with conflicts with peers and parents. The second study, the focus group, successfully validated the findings of the first study, and it broadened the understanding of the fact that SGIs and their parents both explained their religion in their own cultural context. Their religious (Muslim) identity also promotes their relationships with their non-Muslim British peers and parents, which contributes positively towards their British identity, and more specifically they define themselves as British Muslims. In the third study, the survey study, the hypotheses were developed on the bases of the qualitative studies. It was expected and found that British and Muslim identities were positively correlated; they had non-significant identity differences with the Muslim identity and significant identity difference with British and ethnic identities from their parents. Ethnic identity difference from their parents was the only found predictor of their attribution of their conflicts to their parents' cultural values.
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Chirongoma, Sophia. "Navigating indigenous resources that can be utilized in constructing a Karanga theology of health and well-being (Utano) :an exploration of health agency in contemporary Zimbabwe." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/10691.
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Health and well-being are the central concerns for most African people. If health and
well-being (utano) is the top priority for most Africans, the general and almost
complete breakdown of the Zimbabwean public health care system in the past decade
(2000-2010) has had far-reaching repercussions on the whole populace. Whereas
African theology and religious studies have expended considerable energy in
addressing the theme of health and well-being, there have been limited attempts at
developing indigenous theologies. This study plugs the gap in the available scholarly
literature by proposing a Karanga theology of health and well-being paying particular
attention to a specific community‘s responses to the health delivery systems in
Zimbabwe. Through an examination of indigenous responses to health and well-being
and critiquing the collapse of the health delivery systems in the period 2000-2010, the
study argues that understanding health agency in contemporary Zimbabwe enables
appreciating the centrality of utano (health and well-being). This study also seeks to
establish the agency of the community in responding to the national health care crisis,
focusing specially on the Karanga community in Murinye district. It explores the
Karanga healthworlds and documents the agency of the Karanga health-seekers and
health-care providers in responding to the health-care crisis. The major focus of the
study is to establish how the Karanga navigate the existing religious and medical
facilities (Modern scientific bio-medicine; Traditional healing and Faith-healing) in
their search for healing by conducting fieldwork research which entailed the use of
interviews and participant observation. The study was also influenced by oral theology
based on the community‘s underlying faith experiences. It also relied upon the life
history approach and narrative theology to establish trends and patterns in the Karanga
medical system. The study concludes by exploring some useful and life-giving
Karanga indigenous resources that can be utilized in constructing a Karanga theology
of health and well-being in contemporary Zimbabwe. A Karanga theology of utano
places emphasis on a liberative motif which is life-giving and life-enhancing. This
includes acknowledging the agency of health-seekers who are actively involved in
their own welfare. It argues that utano is achieved when, on the basis of indigenous
beliefs and Christian beliefs regarding health, individuals and families invest in
refusing to accept ill-health. Information drawn from study participants demonstrated
how they sought the opinions of traditional healers, prophet healers and modern health
practitioners whenever they felt that their condition was compromised. The study
foregrounds the fact that for the Karanga people, issues of health and well-being
cannot be separated from their religious perspectives. There are diverse religious
traditions among the Karanga people and these inform their understanding of utano.
As such, the three health delivery systems should not be viewed as competitors for
clients but more importantly, they should be viewed as complementing each other.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.
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Amadi, Anthony. "Inculturation in African churches with particular reference to Zimbabwe." Diss., 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17584.
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This study tries to investigate the extent of inculturation in African Churches in general and in Zimbabwe in particular. Some mission churches, like the Catholic, the Anglican and the Methodist Churches were selected for the study. The main areas of investigation are baptism, the Eucharist:, marriage, burial and healing. The study discovered that there is some inculturation going on in all the churches under discussion, especially in the
celebration of the Eucharist. On the other hand, it was also discovered that the African Independent Churches, such as Vapostori and the Aladura, churches are much more at home with the implementation of inculturation especially in the area of healing. We concluded that Christianity is not yet deeply rooted in African soil, in particular in Zimbabwe. This is because not much inculturation has taken place in the mission churches. Some recommendations are made to help facilitate the implementation of inculturation and to enable Christianity to take flesh in Africa so as to become an authentic African Christianity.Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology
M. Th. (Systematic Theology)
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Hwata, Benny. "Christianity under indigenous leadership in Zimbabwe : whither the church's inculturation of the Shona views on death and afterlife." Thesis, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27303.
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Early Christian missionaries alienated Shona people from their culture and traditional religion. Essential elements of Shona religion were rejected because they were thought to be entertaining paganism, fetishism and idolatry. More than a century of Christianity in Zimbabwe has passed and some Shona still hold on tenaciously to their ancestral religion. The missionaries did not understand Shona language and may have been ignorant of the significance of the Shona religion to the Shona people. However, with the transfer of power from colonial masters to black rule, one would have expected parallel changes concerning creative integration of indigenous cultural values with the Gospel. But today, forty years after independence, not a single Church denomination in Zimbabwe (Mainline Churches, Evangelical Churches and Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches) seems to have made any ‘meaningful adaption’ of the Shona views on death and afterlife, in the light of the Bible, and in particular, the Gospel. Several elements in Shona traditional beliefs on death and afterlife have been proposed for inculturation. In spite of the proposals put forward by various scholars, even the indigenous Church leaders in Zimbabwe seem to have failed to fully adapt the Shona views into the Christian Gospel message, despite the fact that they fully understand and appreciate the Shona culture and values. A literature review will help to extract information from current and past studies underlying this field. The principles followed on comprehending and solving problems, and the methods and methodology employed in the study, will be made explicit. A detailed examination of the Shona views on death and afterlife which the Zimbabwean Church is expected to possibly incorporate into their worship, and the precepts on the eschatological perspective of Christianity on death, resurrection and afterlife, will be conducted. Definition and analysis of the terms ‘dialogue’ and ‘inculturation’, and the progress achieved on dialogue and inculturation, by the Church in Zimbabwe, will follow. The challenges confronting the Church in Zimbabwe, and the Shona Christians, will be investigated, while theological arguments will be employed to identify gaps in knowledge in the previous literature. The study will suggest possible proposals on the way forward.Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
PhD. (Systematic Theology)
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Mandeya, Annah Shamiso. "The role of culture and the Roman Catholic Church on HIV and AIDS among the Manyika women of Manicaland, Zimbabwe." Thesis, 2018. http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/25673.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113)The advent of HIV and AIDS has had a negative impact on the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches (as well as others) in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. This was due to the difficulty of accepting the reality of this pandemic. This happened because the disease came with unbearable psycho-social suffering rooted in stigmatisation and discrimination, especially among women, who were the most vulnerable group. This study critically examines and exposes the effects of HIV and AIDS on Manyika women. The researcher argues that, on the one hand, some religious and cultural practices contributed to the spread of the HIV and AIDS infection. On the other hand, some of these practices discouraged the spread of HIV and AIDS pandemic and needed to be enhanced. Furthermore, even if churches are involved in the battle against HIV, their efforts are hindered by cultural practices such as the Manyikas’ unwillingness to discuss taboo issues such as sex and gender in public. This makes women vulnerable. In addition, the problem has been complicated by the fact that the issue of sexuality is not openly discussed in the churches. Using qualitative methods, the researcher conducted interviews with Catholics and found that there is a need to continually engage with these communities. Their lived experiences can be used to bring about their liberation and improve their capacity to deal with their situation. The argument of this study is that there is an urgent need to liberate and empower women in the era of HIV and AIDS. The journey that has already been started by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (“the Circle”) could assist in the liberation of women to deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic. In addition, this can build on Catholic Church HIV and AIDS interventions among the Manyika people of Zimbabwe as a premise of that process of liberation.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Phil. (Theology)
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Manley, Marcelle. "Soil and blood : Shona traditional region in late 20th century Zimbabwe." Diss., 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18115.
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This qualitative study focuses on two questions:
a) Do present-day Shona still subscribe to the world-view of their ancestors?
b) How does this world-view relate to that of the modern (Western) world?
Interviews were conducted with government representatives, chiefs in Masvingo Province
and people in all walks of life. Virtually all interviewees, even when participating in the
"modern" sector (including Christianity), still subscribe to the traditional system.
Government, however, has adopted the model of the pre-Independence government, with
some concessions to tradition.
The traditional world-view (emphasising its key symbols, blood and soil) and the history of
the two dominant tribes in Masvingo Province are outlined. A case study of a current
chieftaincy dispute illustrates the dilemma.
Conclusion: searching dialogue between the two belief systems is needed to resolve the
potentially creative ambivalence. Some key issues are suggested as starting points for such
dialogue.M.A. (Religious Studies)
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Chitakure, John. "Death rituals among the Karanga of Nyajena, Zimbabwe: praxis, significance, and changes." Thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27543.
Full textAbstract:
This study was about death rituals among the Karanga of Nyajena, Masvingo, Zimbabwe, who are a sub-group of the Shona people. This inquiry’s primary purpose was tripartite in outlook. First, it described the Karanga causes of sickness and death, and Karanga death rituals. Second, it explored the significance of these rituals to the Karanga people. Third, the study traced and identified the changes in the practice and significance of some of the rituals. The overall goal of this inquiry was to compose a brief manual for the performance of some of the Karanga death rituals. The inquiry divided the Karanga death rituals into three major categories, namely, pre-burial rituals, burial rituals, and post-burial rituals. The investigation employed qualitative research traditions, particularly ethnography, in the collection and interpretation of the relevant research data, in pursuit of the goals mentioned above. Postcolonial theory was used to give a theoretical framework to this study. This study was necessitated by the need of a written manual on the performance of Karanga death rituals. The study compiled the participants’ narratives concerning the praxis, meaning, and changes in the Karanga death rituals in an attempt to analyze and write them down for posterity. The inquiry found out that although the praxis of the rituals was still rememberd by many Karanga people, some of them were no longer performed, and their significance had been lost. Although the study acknowledged the inevitable dynamism of culture, it held that every ethnicity should have some cultural or religious constants so that its identity is not lost. Hence, the Karanga of Nyajena should retrace their footsteps back to their death rituals in order to rediscover and reaffirm their battered cultural identity and integrity.Religious Studies and Arabic
D. Phil. (Religious Studies)
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Shumbamhini, Mercy. "Storying widowhood in Shona culture." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1135.
Full textAbstract:
A group of four widows undertook this research journey with me. They reflected on their widowhood experiences. Narrative and participatory practices guided our conversations. Participatory, contextual, postmodern, liberational feminist theology, poststructuralism and the social construction theory of reality informed this work.
Reflective and summarising letters after each group meeting played a central part in the research. The letters were structured to make visible the "taken-for-granted" which informed the widows about who and what they are. The alternative stories of preferred widowhood practices that emerged during and between sessions were centralised in the letters. Elements of transformation, hope and empowerment surfaced as counter stories to the culture of oppression, providing the scaffolding for re-storying their lives. The group formed Chiedza Widows Association in order to support other widows who are still marginalised.Practical Theology
(M.Th - Specialisation Pastoral Therapy))
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Bhasera, Michael D. "The challenges of evangelizing the African Christian family in the light of 'Familiaris consortio'." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/3258.
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This thesis falls under Missiology. Its main objective is to investigate the challenges of evangelizing the African Christian Family in the light of'Familiaris Consortio. J The thesis is unique by virtue of its contextualization. It targets the people who occupy Gokwe diocese,
one ofthe eight dioceses in Zimbabwe. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The First Chapter looks at the location and family
life in Gokwe diocese. In this chapter, special attention is given to the inhabitants of Gokwe diocese themselves, their social life, marriage, the influence of modernity on marriage and family life, the economic life of the people, their political life and some rituals which include belief in the veneration ofancestors and the kurova guva (bringing home) ceremony.
It is in this same chapter that most of the challenges to evangelizing the African (Shona) Christian family in Gokwe diocese come out. Some of these include: polygamy, divorce, bridewealth, poverty, belief in ancestors and the kurova guva ceremony. The Second Chapter gives what the Church teaches on the theology of marriage and family life. It is in two main sections. The first section highlights some important points on God's
plan for marriage and family life. The second and largest section emphasizes the role of the Christian family which is realized by fulfilling four main tasks, namely: forming a community of persons, serving life, participating in the development of society and sharing in the life and mission ofthe Church. The Third Chapter is an evaluation of the similarities and disparities between the theological! ecclesiological stance and the real family situation in Gokwe diocese. In a nutshell, it compares and contrasts the first and second chapters, bringing out the similarities and differences existing between the two. Community spirit, value of life, communion
between the living and the dead, ethics and morality are among some notable similarities, whilst polygamy, divorce, position of women and attitude towards health and sickness are among the major disparities.
The Fourth Chapter is practical in the sense that it seeks to offer some envisaged pastoral solutions and proposals to the already highlighted challenges and problems. Closest attention to the solutions is given to the available resources in the diocese of Gokw.e especially in the areas ofstages, structures and agents ofpastoral care for the family. The Fifth Chapter is a conclusion of the whole thesis. Basically it looks at what I have
discovered throughout the whole thesis and offers some general conclusions according to 'Familiaris Consortio.Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.
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Chimhanda, Francisca Hildegardis. "An incarnational Christology set in the context of narratives of Shona women in present day Zimbabwe." Thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/598.
Full textAbstract:
Implicit in the concepts Incarnation, narrative, Christology, Shona women of Zimbabwe today is
the God who acts in human history and in the contemporaneity and particularity of our being.
The Incarnation as the embodiment of God in the world entails seizing the kairos opportunity to
expand the view and to bear the burdens of responsibility. A theanthropocosmic Christology that
captures the Shona holistic world-view is explored. The acme for a relational Christology is the
imago Dei/Christi and the baptismal indicative and imperative. God is revealed in various
manifestations of creation. Human identity and dignity is the flipside of God's attributes.
Theanthropocosmic Christology as pluralistic, differential and radical brings about a dialectic
between the whole and its parts, the uniqueness of the individual, communal ontology and
epistemology, the local and the universal, orthodoxy and orthopraxis, Christology and
soteriology. God mediates in the contingency of particularity. Emphasis is on life-affirmation
rather than sex determination of Jesus as indicated by theologies of liberation and inculturation.
At the interface gender, ethnicity, class and creed, God transcends human limitedness and
artificial boundaries in creating catholic space and advocating all-embracing apostolic action.
Difference is appreciated for the richness it brings both to the individual and the community.
Hegemonic structures and borderless texts are view with suspicion as totalising grand~narratives
and exclusivist by using generic language. The kairos in dialogue with the Incarnation is seizing
the moment to expand the view and to share the burdens, joys and responsibility in a community
of equal discipleship.
In a hermeneutic of engagement and suspicion, prophetic witness is the hallmark of Christian
discipleship and of a Christology that culminates in liberative praxis. The Christology that
emerges from Shona women highlights a passionate appropriation that involves the head, gut,
womb and heart and underlies the circle symbolism. The circle is the acme of Shona hospitality
and togetherness in creative dialogue with the Trinitarian koinonia. The Shona Christological
designation Muponesi (Deliverer-Midwife) in dialogue with the Paschal Mystery motif captures
the God-human-cosmos relationship that gives a Christology caught up in the rhythms,
dynamism and drama of life.Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D.Th. (Systematic Theology)
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"Domestic and communal worship in rural Chinese society: a field study in New Territories, Hong Kong." Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5886195.
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Sadarangani, Monique M. "Modernized Hinduism : domestic religious life and women." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/11946.
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LeFlore, Elizabeth Hawthorne 1972. "The force of devotion : performing a transnational spirituality." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/18447.
Full textAbstract:
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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Maharaj, Vedhant. "Yantra: infrastructures of the sacred and profane in Varanasi, India." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/20567.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.Arch (Professional)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016.India is currently undergoing a rapid transformation economically, consciously and spatially. A layout of national infrastructure is happening at a pace which may be ungovernable, in its current state and India’s historical and natural landscapes are in jeopardy. One such ecological resource is the Ganga (colonialised as the Ganges), which through continued pollution is reaching a point of irreversible damage. There is, however, still hope. Accordingly, this thesis moves from an overview of India in the globalised world, through a rephrasing of how “development” is understood and manifests itself to the suggestion of an overall plan to understand and implement it in a way that is co-ordinated in intention but regionally and contextually responsive in application. Through Homi Bhabha’s theoretical perspective of cultural hybridisation the discourse of creating a new infrastructural identity for India is introduced. The current political focus on the Ganga, created by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, through a renewed and trending agenda for cleaning the holy river, acts as a platform to explore the possibilities of infrastructure within this context . The Ganga River has been a religious symbol for millennia and the life force to approximately 500 million people. Through continued and increased pollution the quality of its water now radically exceeds the minimum requirements for safe drinking, bathing or even agricultural use. The Ganga River symbolises a cosmological relationship between people and the ecological environment, which requires that pollution be approached from a holistic viewpoint responding to the weight of its cultural value. This contextualized approach has the potential to become a catalyst for new innovative approaches to the integration of infrastructure throughout the river network . By using the political momentum created in the city, by the national project, this thesis is realised through a multiplicity of conflicting lenses inherent to Varanasi, one of India’s holiest cities. The city itself is growing economically but at the price of its prized ancient heritage. It possesses a cosmological value unparalleled by any other city in the country thus making it an emotionally powerful tool to mobilise a cleaning project for the river. If infrastructure is not implemented correctly the threat to the city’s unique character becomes real. This challenge created the Meta question for my research: How do you implement infrastructure into the sacred landscape? Through various degrees of research, both intuitive and informed, a system to clean water is designed in a way that truly integrates into a cultural landscape. The proposed design establishes itself as the first intervention in a national network for cleaning the River. By taking into account the infrastructural, ecological and sociological requirements of the city and its daily life the water purification sanctuary mediates the conflicting programmatic requirements between spirituality and science. Through an understanding that purity of water has a number of connotations within the site context the building utilises various treatment methods to reinforce the sanctity ABSTRACT of water through a hybrid mediation of heritage, nature, science and infrastructures (both vernacular and modern). This new typology enables the interaction of people with water cleaning infrastructure at a local scale and offers a way forward in redefining a national identity that is bound up in these currently conflicting imperatives.
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Cleal, Alizon M. "Five narratives of religious itinerary from the Bosomefi and Anowa families of Ian Oguaa in Fanteland, Ghana : a theological exploration of the affinity between the world-view of the Christian scriptures and the African primal world-view." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1900.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the study is to show the presence of Christ in Fanteland by treating five Fante ancestral and current narratives as analogues of Genesis XIV and interpreting the resulting interpenetrating Scripture and Fante narratives sensus plenior in the manner of Hebrews VII for Fante Christians, revealing the hidden presence of Christ in them. This is made possible by a postulate of an affinity between the Hebrew world view and that of the Fante. What is considered right behaviour in Fanteland is also resonant with the ethics in Hebrews. A section on ethics arising out of the presence of Christ in the narrative follows in each case. The first chapter is introductory giving the aim and objectives of the study the justification, scope and limitations. This is followed by the intellectual framework from secondary sources and the methodology used. In Chapter II there is a comparison of the world view of Hebrews and of Fanteland with a view to seeing their affinity. Chapters III -V give the literary and historical background to each narrative, the narratives themselves and a theological and ethical meditation. In conclusion the fruit of these meditations is summarized and an evaluation is made.Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.