Thesiss

This dissertation examines the dynamics and mediation of modernity in urban West African expressive culture, particularly as engaged by female vocal singing stars in Bamako, Mali of an urban popular music style called Wassolu. Since the 1990s this historically marginalized migra…

This dissertation explores the emerging phenomenon of contemporary Chinese Christian "Praise and Worship" music. Of Pentecostal-Charismatic origins, since the 1990s this music has exploded into the churches and Christian music industries in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Chinese diaspor…

Musical theatre is commonly proclaimed to be a uniquely American art form. Yet little has been published to date that attempts to explicate how the American musical represents American patriotism. In dramatic and musical terms, what does it mean to be an American devoted to one'…

Gospel singing is a musically sophisticated and culturally influential vocal performance style. Yet, its pedagogy is often expressed through the lens of formal/classical training or a Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) umbrella for all non-classical styles. This is problematic …

For several hundred years, in response to Charles Finney’s innovations, American churches emphasized evangelism over worship within corporate worship services. This approach redirected the vertical focus of corporate worship from God to the horizontal focus of non-believers as t…

The myth of Tejājī, a minor Hindu snake-healing deity, is performed in the context of healing rituals in many locations in Rajasthan. After discussing the origin of the myth and its migration to the area of Chittorgarh, I concentrate on the ritual of healing performed in the loc…