Hold My Mule

2020 ◽  
pp. 65-87
Author(s):  
Claudrena N. Harold
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Political Activism ◽  
Gender Politics ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Prophetic Community

This chapter explores the music and political activism of Shirley Caesar. Drawing on a rich body of archival sources, this chapter makes three important interventions: (1) it complicates conventional representations of Caesar as solely a traditional gospel artist by charting the influence of R&B and country on her music; (2) it details how Caesar’s signing with Word Records in 1980 signaled white Christian labels’ efforts to claim a bigger share of the black gospel market; and (3) it explores how Caesar navigated the black church’s gender politics. Along with illuminating Caesar’s remarkable success as an artist who identified strongly with the New South, this chapter also examines how she used her platform to build what religious studies scholar Cheryl Sanders calls “prophetic community.”

A Liberal Education Rationale for Studies of Religion Programs and its Application to Courses in Three Australian States

1994 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hobson ◽  
John Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Education ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Community Perception ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
South Wales

By 1992, all Australian states offered religious studies as a matriculation subject in response to a growing community perception of its importance. The rationale for offering these courses has been strongly promoted in terms of their educational value rather than for any intention to proselytise or promote commitment to faith. Although there are a number of possible justifications for such programs, we argue that the rationale for studies of religion is best situated within the liberal education tradition. What also needs to be asked in relation to these courses is the extent to which they identify three significant philosophical issues arising in the study of religion: scepticism, exclusivity and relativism. This article applies these criteria in an assessment of studies of religion courses in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria.

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