Practice, performance and perfection: Learning sacred texts in four faith communities in London

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Gregory, Eve E.; Choudhury, Halimun; Ilankuberan, Arani; Kwapong, Amoafi and Woodham, Malgozarta. 2013. Practice, performance and perfection: Learning sacred texts in four faith communities in London. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2013(220), pp. 27-48. ISSN 0165-2516 [Article]

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Official URL: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ijsl.2013.2013.iss...

Abstract or Description

In this article we examine the role played by one key sacred text in chil- dren’s learning in four faith communities in London (Bangladeshi British Mus- lim, Tamil Hindu, Ghanaian Pentecostal and Polish Catholic). After situating the study within a sociocultural framework, we show how collaborative ethnography offers insights into how children begin to make collective memories their own in a new country. We focus particularly on the importance of practice and perfor- mance leading to the perfection required by the faith. Through multimodal ap- proaches including song, dance, gesture and chant, as well as repetition, recita- tion, echoing and memorization, the children imbibe the texts and learn them “by heart”. Finally, we show how living in a new country results in a syncretism of language, literacy and learning practices which contributes to the dynamic na- ture of each faith in London.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2013-0012