The Role of Popular Music in the Construction of Alternative Spiritual Identities and Ideologies

Abstract

Setting its discussion in the wider context of the decline of institutional religion among young adults, the rise of alternative spiritualities, and the mediatization of religion, the article explores the significance of popular music in the development of alternative spiritual identities and ideologies. A summary is given of leading research conducted in this field by Christopher Partridge and Graham St. John. It is argued that they demonstrate the encoding of alternative spiritual symbols and ideologies into certain forms of popular music, they fail to give an adequate account of how audiences actively make use of this music to construct alternative spiritual identities or frameworks of meaning. The article concludes that researchers in the field of religion and popular music need to draw more on theories and methods developed in ethno-musicology and the sociology of music, and suggests that the work of Tia De Nora on music in everyday life raises important questions about the qualities and context of the act of listening to music that could generate more nuanced accounts of how popular music shapes alternative spiritual identities and ideologies.

Dress, transformation, and conformity in the heavy rock subculture

“……but this music is not new, it's been around for years in one form or another…it has a long, long history that goes back to the blues…it's a subversive genre, just like rock festivals are…and as for the look, that has just evolved as well, it's informal, it's comfortable, but it's expressive as well, it says something about the dark primitive side of nature that we all need to get in touch with from time to time… [John, age 36] Lynch (2006) discusses the decline of organized religion and the search for alternative spiritual experiences through such forms as music. De Nora (1999) looks to music as a source or medium of social agency, heightened energy, ongoing identity work and a scaffold for self-construction.…”

Straddling the Sacred and Secular: Creating a Spiritual Experience Through Belly Dance

“…Since the 1960s, an increasing number of Americans claim to be spiritual and associate with alternative religious groups, while involvement in and affiliation with traditional religious institutions declines (Cimino and Lattin 2002;Lynch 2006;Marler and Hadaway particular, does one's involvement in traditional religion impact whether one considers belly dance spiritual? Second, how does belly dance become spiritual, that is, what characteristics define a spiritual belly dance experience, and under what conditions does this experience occur?…”

Religious music in everyday life: adolescents’ identity work in Catholic schooling

“…Tacey (2010) argues that adolescents' religiosity has moved towards spirituality, which he names as the "Spirituality Revolution" (the title of his book). This is similar to Lynch's (2006) view of spirituality, in which adolescents seek other non-traditional means to support their religious identity work. Tacey (2010) encourages researchers not to simply consider adolescents as being "lost" in their spiritual journeys, but rather to consider the modern world as different from the past.…”

“…Lynch (2006) draws upon DeNora's work, raising further questions about spirituality, religiosity, and popular music, and how other cultural resources and the social environment shape the process of identity work. Beaudoin (1998) argues that the key to gaining authentic religious meaning is through experience.…”

“…In considering popular music within a contemporary religious framework, Lynch (2006) reminds us that music can stimulate spiritual identities and ideologies, and can also show how popular music can be considered as a resource. This perspective is reinforced by Partridge (2005), who contends that popular music has been a major influence in the encouragement of spiritual belief.…”