Durkheim and the Social Functions of Sacred Music

Authors

  • Jonathan L Friedman Academy for Jewish Religion

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/axismundi79

Keywords:

ethnomusicology, jewish music, Jewish ritiual, jewish worship, ceremonial ritual

Abstract

It is the purpose of this paper to present a social-theoretical approach to sacred song. In particular, I will apply sociologist Émile Durkheim’s discussion of ceremonial ritual to the use of music in worship, focusing on how such music serves disciplinary, cohesive, revitalizing, and euphoric functions. It is my hope that such an analysis will yield a useful framework from which to address the oft-neglected topic of the social functions of sacred music.

Author Biography

Jonathan L Friedman, Academy for Jewish Religion

3rd Year MA Jewish Religion

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Published

2017-10-06

How to Cite

Friedman, J. L. (2017). Durkheim and the Social Functions of Sacred Music. Axis Mundi, 5. https://doi.org/10.29173/axismundi79

Issue

Vol. 5 (2009)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2009 Jonathan L Friedman

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.