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Author ORCID Identifier
N/A
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
English
Year Degree Awarded
2014
Month Degree Awarded
February
First Advisor
Jenny Spencer
Second Advisor
TreaAndrea Russworm
Third Advisor
A. Yemisi Jimoh
Subject Categories
African American Studies | American Popular Culture | Christianity | Women's Studies
Abstract
From 1997 to 2013, there have been multiple representations of the black church in popular culture. African American artists have always explored spirituality within black communities; in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, the increasing fame of Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes, Steve Harvey, and other prominent African American Christians has placed black church culture on the center stage of American mainstream media. This dissertation examines contemporary black Christian popular fiction, stage performances, black church films, and rap music. These representations demonstrate that black church culture is distinct from secular black popular culture and white evangelical Christian culture. The construction of these texts has proven the power of black consumers, created a space for a greater diversity of roles for black actors, and revived a black counter-public who actively debates representations of spirituality and sexuality in black church culture texts. Contemporary representations of the black church engage in a sexual discourse that upholds heteronormative, patriarchal values which are consistent with evangelical interpretations of Christianity.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/6042602.0
Recommended Citation
Daniel, Rachel J., "RESURRECTION: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE BLACK CHURCH IN CONTEMPORARY POPULAR CULTURE" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations. 174.
https://doi.org/10.7275/6042602.0
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/174
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Christianity Commons, Women's Studies Commons