Sewanee: The University of the South
Sewanee DSpace Repository (The University of the South)Not a member yet
4066 research outputs found
Sort by
Choosing Humanity: The Evolution of the Elephant Man
Get PDFIn the following study on Joseph Merrick and perceptions, I detail the differing views of his life and his disease. I combine the different perspectives on Merrick because no one has made comparisons between the perspectives up until this point. I find that Merrick, society, and doctors experienced a change in perception when it came to accepting Merrick’s existence in addition to dealing with other monsters.
First, I delve into the theory of monstrosity by outlining the fascination with what is different. Coming to terms with the unknown or the different can be an unsettling experience. When one’s view changes drastically, a paradigm shift occurs which entails achieving a different level of understanding. In addition to understanding monstrosity, I deal with how monstrosity was believed to come about through women. Up until the late 1800s, women were blamed for bringing monstrosity into the world because they were thought to be the only contributors. I analyze the reasons and implications of blaming women for monstrosity in addition to connecting their struggle with perceptions.
Next I deal with circus life in order to examine how other freaks dealt with being different. I detail how circus culture creates an environment for freaks that emulates a home. Freaks had different experiences when in the circus, but most of them found refuge amongst those who were like them. The circus was a place where they could be comfortable in their own skin. I tie the circus life of other freaks in order to illuminate how Merrick could have viewed his time as an act.
Lastly, I discuss how Merrick perceives himself along with how his doctor perceived him. In order to get inside of Merrick’s personal thoughts, I closely analyze his autobiography and photos in order to reveal how he felt and dealt with his physical state. I conclude with an analysis on the relationship between Dr. Treves and Joseph Merrick in order to reveal the discrepancies, appropriateness, and the thoughts of outsiders on their relationship. Ultimately, I intend to separate Merrick from the Elephant Man in order to perceive him as a human being.Dr. Carmen McEvoy, History Departmen
A Survey of the Work of the General Convention and the Lambeth Conference Considering a Theology for Interfaith Dialogue
No full textA review of the historic work of the Lambeth Conference and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church clearly demonstrates that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries interfaith interaction was evangelistically driven. While the motivation might have been equal parts colonialism and non-religious fervor, conversion was the goal of interfaith interaction during this period. As non-Western, non-Christian people began to appear more and more in England following World War II and the US following 1965, the foreign missionary paradigm along with its evangelize-and-convert methodology became less useful.Dr. Benjamin King and Dr. Robert Hughes, III, School of Theolog
Aiding and Abetting: An Empoirical Study of the Effects of Foreign Aid on the Rule of Law in sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFBringing the empirical analysis of econometrics to the debate of the effects of foreign aid on countries located in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper analyzes the effect of foreign aid on the rule of law by using instrumental variable analysis. Using a random effects model, and instrumenting for foreign aid with an innovative instrument, the percentage of the population living with HIV, this paper found that foreign aid has a significant, negative impact on the rule of law: roughly 1/6 a standard deviation Ceteris Paribus. This paper not only provides support for a reduction of foreign aid, it introduces and justifies a new instrument that can be used in further study of the region
"Already Having Forgotten:" Violence, Its Memory, and Political Identity in El Salvador
Get PDFEl Salvador suffered from a brutal civil war from approximately 1980 until the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992. Civil war identities were formed by the incremental experience of violence, solidified by the post-conflict amnesty, and subsequently incorporated into a political landscape that persists today. While there is a pervasive sense that “the past is the past,” civil war identities continue to be salient determinants in political decision making for both voters and politicians. Through an examination of a series of interviews conducted by the author in 2013, supplemented by other primary and secondary sources, the argument is made that the polarization of current Salvadoran political identity is a result of past experiences of violence and the way past violence is collectively remembered
From Emancipation to Jim Crow: The Work among the African-American population of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia
No full textRev. Dr. Benjamin J. Kin
The Colonial Church and its Legacy and Impact on Colonial Dioceses, Focusing on the Diocese of Southern Virginia: A Family Systems Perspective
Get PDFEdwin Friedman writes, “I have been struck by how families, corporations, [churches,
synagogues] and other kinds of institutions are constantly trying to cure their own ills
through amputations . As a priest ordained in Southern Virginia, I have often thought of
this reality and wanted to gain a better understanding of the history of the Church in
Virginia and what are the historical reasons for the dysfunction that seems to be in the
Diocesan DNA. Here are two initial questions: What impact does the Colonial Church
have on the current workings, attitudes, and ecclesial developments of the Diocese of
Southern Virginia and could there be particular dimensions of family systems theory—
particularly as articulated in the work of Edwin Friedman—that shed light on what
appear to be some longstanding dysfunctional patterns that negatively impact the role and
office of bishop?
It is understood that the American Revolution was an instrumental event in the decline of
the established church in early America, and especially in Virginia. However, what else
was going on that contributed to the decline? Was it the powerful privileged gentry class
that ruled the vestries, the chaotic political situation in England, the inadequate response
to evangelicalism, the tie to the monarchy in England, the lack of educated clergy, the
lack of bishops in America, a compilation of all of these, or was it something else?
This paper attempts to explore a deeper understanding and appreciation of the impact of
the Colonial Church and its legacy, and the way in which it continues to manifest itself
within the family system of Southern Virginia as well as any diocese with Colonial
Church roots. This author believes that this single understanding could well be the most
important pre-requisite for an incoming bishop in a Colonial diocese. When such a
diocese and their new bishop do not know or understand these deeply rooted patterns, a
“secret” stays alive in the system, and it is only a matter of time before it begs to come
out and wreak havoc with future generations.
ii
It is not only necessary to understand the ramifications of living in an institution with
roots in the Colonial Church, but just as important is to address how we may be able to
usher it out the door.The Rt. Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnet
Naturalism Meets Classicism: The Training and Early Shakespearean Career of Dame Judi Dench
Get PDFAfter practically growing up on stage in York, Judi Dench studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where she graduated in 1957 and immediately began acting professionally with the city’s pre-eminent theatrical company housed at the Old Vic. Dench received harsh reviews for her first public performance as Ophelia and retreated to begin a gradual rise to great acclaim with her subsequent portrayals of Katherine of France, Juliet, and Titania. These early high-wire adventures that initiated Dame Judi Dench to the world of acting lie at the heart of my thesis because I believe they forever shaped her career. Tension grew between the classical training that she refused to compromise and the increasingly naturalistic directorial tendencies of the time. The conflict between these traditional and emerging ideals affects her even now, winning respect and affection from audiences as she balances the two. Viewers relate to her spontaneous, naturalistic performances, yet she maintains the highest standards of articulation and theatricality in every role, from Shakespeare to sitcoms, from Ibsen to action films.
This work explores the youth, formal training, and earliest professional Shakespearean performances of Dame Judi Dench as a microcosm of British theater at the time. My research was completed near Sewanee, Tennessee, over the course of five years, with the English-Speaking Union of Nashville funding one summer of research in England. The appendices are presented with cooperation from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Archive, the Old Vic Archives in Bristol and Birmingham, and the Harvard Theatre Collection, as well as personal interviews and e-mails with Judi Dench, John Barton, Cicely Berry, Barbara Jefford, and Kate Duchêne.Dr. Ann Jennalie Cook; Dr. Jennifer Lewin; Dr. John Gramme
Holding the Place of Christ: Leadership in the Divine Household
Get PDFThe thesis of this paper is that the Benedictine monastic tradition provides an effective foundation for leadership in the parish church. The Rule of Benedict provides a sturdy template for the organization and functioning of a community committed to prayer and work in service of the Gospel. Its principles have been employed, in varying degrees, to structure the ongoing life of many intentional religious communities. More specifically, this study looks at how the Rule of St. Benedict presents the authority of the abbot and how leadership inspired by this model can shape and strengthen Christian discipleship. Because the vitality of any intentional community depends upon the quality of leadership that oversees and shapes its common life, this paper explores the Benedictine tradition for its wise principles of leadership and of community structure that can serve us well during the current period of cultural transition. Benedict prescribed the fundamental nature of the abbacy as he did because he understood its function as the anchor of the community’s life.
In order to make leadership parallels and applications, chapter one sketches the kind of regime Benedict intended for the abbacy. Monastic life began when Christian ascetics went out to the deserts of Egypt and Palestine to find God in the practice of silence, prayer, and purification of the heart. Because they needed a teacher and guide, communities began to form around charismatic leaders. Thus, the living out and passing on of an intentional religious life has been, and continues to be, the goal of all divine households patterned on the Rule. It is the abbot’s interpretation and adaption of the Rule that allows for shaping the character of the community’s ongoing life.
Chapter two describes how Thomas Merton guided younger vocations to an understanding how the Rule had been adapted over time by monastic communities. As Novice Master at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton taught that communities must make discriminating use of Cassian and the Desert Fathers just as Benedict did when producing his Rule. In doing so, Merton sought to recapture a spiritual balance in the essential traditions of Cistercian life.
Chapter three describes ways the Church might reorganize its leadership models as we shift from a modern to a postmodern culture. This transfer is creating stress because the understanding of leadership among the quickly ascending Millennial generation differs significantly from that of the Baby Boomer generation. I believe that there is an urgent need for an evolution in leadership models. Churches must come to terms with how the perception of leadership in this new cultural landscape has changed. In this new postmodern environment, the relational aspects of leadership must come first. Nurturing emerging leaders is similar to lifting up indigenous leaders from within a new mission field.
The leadership models employed in this expanding, boundary-free world of the internet and social networking will greatly influence how any community marshals the resources available to it for its mission. Whether abbot or rector, existing leaders will need to engage others in the cultivation of new forms, while reforming traditional methods, so that the vitality of their Gospel communities can continue or be renewed.
This thesis claims that the Church has many deep, and sometimes untapped, resources. The Rule of St. Benedict offers a perennial wellspring of wisdom, guidance, and inspiration for the leaders of divine households to meet the challenges of these uncertain times.Dr. Julia M. Gatta, School of Theolog