Music and Meaning Making

Writ 2011 

By Katie Cosgrove

This week I read the article Popular music, affective space and meaning by Christopher partridge. In this reading Partridge argues that popular music needs to be taken more seriously due to its influential relationship in society, personal identity formation and the construction of the Self (Partridge, 2012: 182).

Partridge discusses the concerning problem that there is a lack of scholarly investigation into the relationship of popular music and religion. Partridge argues that the relationship of music is so important in the construction of social identity and personal identity. That music helps to determine social groups, our relationship within the community and constructing our own personal identity (Partridge, 2012:182).   

Furthermore Partridge argues that popular music also plays an integral role in religious and social networks and the existential life (Partridge, 2012 182). That popular music needs to be studied and considered more seriously as it is influential to our feelings and thought. He backs this up with past studies by H.H Farmer who identified the cognitive effect of drugs and alcohol as similar to the “aesthetic intoxication” caused by listening to a chapel choir (Partridge,  2012:183). 

Why Popular music? Partridge argues that popular music is so ingrained in our everyday lives from the radio in the morning to the listening to music whilst commuting to work, therefore music plays an important part in everyday life. Consequently Partridge argues that popular music is constructing many aspects of peoples lives their personal identity emotion and social organisation (Partridge, 2012:185).  A beautiful quote in the article by Simon Frith sums up the importance of music,

"The question we should be asking is not what does popular music reveals about the people but how does it construct them. Because of its qualities of abstractness music is an individualizing form. We absorb songs into our own lives and rhythms into our own bodies" (Partridge, 2012: 185).

Indeed music is a medium for communicating meaning and emotion, personal identity and social likes and dislikes  (Partridge, 2012:186).  We can use it to regulate our moods and as a way to identify personal values and feelings and thoughts on political, social and religious issues.  Music can be used to shape the Self and for personal identity formation. Music can even be used to give meaning to situations such as in movies in a climatic event (Partridge, 186). Consequently when we listen to popular music we are being drawn into social and cultural alliances (Partridge, 2012:187).

References:

Partridge C. 2012. Popular Music, Affective Space and Meaning. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. 182-193. London and New York: Routledge.

Images:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_cecilia.jpg

Spirituality and Capitalism

By Katie Cosgrove

This week I read Spirituality and the Re-branding of Religion by Jeremy Carrette and Richard King. This article discusses the problems associated with contemporary use of spirituality for supporting corporatization or the rebranding of religion as spirituality. It at first seems surprising that spirituality could even be associated with economic and political gain, yet Carrett and King argue that it traces back to the enlightenment (2012:60). 

Carrett and King point out that through out history there has of course always been the presence of religion in economics. The rebranding of religion as spirituality in corporatization is different it is a new development, one that has a monopoly of the term spirituality (2012:62). 

The article discusses how there is an increased interest in spirituality in contemporary society in the form of new age and self -development. These forms of spirituality are now incorporated into everyday society through education, health and business (2012:59).  It seems that spirituality for many people has replaced traditional religion.

Spirituality has become so influential as it is seen as an avenue to healing and transformation that traditional religion could not offer (2012:59). Yet Carrette and King argue that spirituality has been taken over by a capitalist society that we live in today. That it is important to challenge the use of spirituality for gaining economic, political and corporate gain (2012:60). 

Carrette and King argue that this spirituality employed in corporatization is packaged as transformative and trendy yet it does little for helping a person actually transform there life (2012:62). Religion is being rebranded as spirituality in clothing and perfume and in the purchasing of relgious buildings and ideas to promote certain values all to support capitalism (2012:65).

Even though Carrett and King argue that there is an exploitation of spirituality for the purpose of corporate gain the important point to challenge is the way in which spirituality is being used to

“smooth out resistance to the growing power of corporate capitalism and consumersim as the defining ideology of our time” (2012:65) .

That this issue is important to address as our world is being dominated, eroded and driven by capitalism.

References:

Carrette J. and R. King. 2012. Spirituality and the Re-branding of Religion. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. 59-70. London and New York: Routledge.

Image Source:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zen_cafe_1.JPG

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silhouette_yoga.png

The importance of religious symbols
By Katie Cosgrove 

This week I read the reading The Virgin of Guadalupe as Cultural Icon by Virgilio Elizondo.   Elizondo investigates the meaning behind popular symbols and how they function in popular religion and within the masses. Elizondo uses the case study of Our Lady Guadalupe to illustrate the importance of religious symbols.

Elizondo argues the importance of understanding and reinterpreting symbols in popular religion as they are symbols of the way people relate to God and religion.  Elizondo begins the article with a brief historical overview to help the reader gain an understanding the context for the time of the apparition of Our Lady Guadalupe.

Elizondo argues that in order to understand the powerful symbolism that Our Lady Guadalupe holds for the Mexican people one must first understand that the Mexican people had undergone a huge defeat by the Spanish they had lost their lands, their religion had been overthrown, their temples destroyed and their Gods defeated (2005: 202).  Early missionaries attempts to communicate to the Mexican people their understandings of Christianity had also failed.  

Ten years after the Spanish conquest the first apparition of Our Lady Guadalupe takes place. It is important to note that no early documentation of this event exists yet the symbolic meaning is so powerful that the memory continues to live on today in the memory of the Mexican people (2005: 203). 

The apparition of the Virgin Mary brings about a new life and meaning for the Mexican people.  Our Lady Guadalupe becomes a symbol of strength and compassion for the Mexican people still even to today. Guadalupe symbolizes hope and strength to the suffering and gives a voice to the powerless to stand up for their rights and demand a more human existence for everyone (2005: 207). It is clear that that the symbol of Our Lady Guadalupe plays an integral role in the function and meaning of Christianity for the Mexican and Mexican Americans today.

References:

Elizondo V. 2005. The Virgin of Guadalupe as Cultural Icon. In C.H. Badaracco, Ed., Quoting God. How Media Shape Ideas about Religion and Culture, 201-208. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. RL.

Image source:

Wikimedia commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escola_Cusquenha_-_Nossa_Senhora_de_Guadalupe.jpg

hello

Hi my name is Katie and this is my weekly Blog for my university class WRIT2011. In this blog I will discuss and reflect on course readings and spiritual and religious themes of the course.