Le predicateur afro-americain et l'art du sermon : une poetique de l'election
Institution:
Paris 7Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The purpose of this study is to discuss the tradition of afro-american folk preaching as a form of oral/aural literature, considering it not only as a means of expression of a community, but also as a mode of communication between a man -the preacher, who is seen as inspired by the holy spirit-and his audience-the congregation, made up of already-converted "saints" and of "sinners" also, who are still to be converted. The aim of such an oratory art is inseparable from a number of religious definitions. The most crucial certainly is that of a divine election of each particular soul, be it that of a sinner or a saint, of a layman or a preacher, by god whose message of salvation is conveyed by the sermon as it works on spiritual regeneration ("new birth"). The first step in the investigation is an attempt at delineating historically the religious landscape in which this oratory is rooted, by explaining how the slaves assimilated and re-shaped certain tenets and rituals born during the great awakenings in the second half of the 18th century. The second is a discussion of a selection of typical folk sermons recorded in the 1950s. The point here is to grasp a sense of the temporal continuity and the consistency of spiritual preaching as it redefines the concepts of space, time, and assertion of self, for each of the participants in a sunday service. The third step is to further examine the nature of the link between preacher(s) and congregation(s), as this is the social and moral backstage of the sermon as oral literature. Finally, the scope widens with an analysis of the echoes of the art of folk sermon in a selection of poems, novels and plays from the harlem renaissance (1920s-1930s), as this was a period in which most authors believed afro-american folk religion was bound to die soon.
Abstract FR:
Ce travail se propose d'aborder la predication traditionnelle afro-americaine en tant que litterature orale, la considerant non seulement comme un mode d'expression communautaire, mais aussi comme une forme de communication entre un homme - le predicateur, apriori inspire par l'esprit-saint - et son public - la congregation, composee de "saints" deja convertis et de "pecheurs" a convertir. Le but d'un art oratoire ainsi defini est intimement lie a des conceptions religieuses precises, dont la plus importante est sans doute l'idee d'une election de chacun ("pecheur" ou "saint", laic ou predicateur) par dieu, dont le sermon porte l'offre de salut en visant la regeneration de l'ame. La demarche adoptee s'efforce de cerner le paysage religieux ou s'enracine cette parole, d'abord sur le plan historique, en expliquant comment les esclaves se sont reapproprie certains dogmes et rituels protestants issus du bouleversement des "grands reveils" a partir de la deuxieme moitie du xviiie siecle, elaborant en depit des resistances de leurs maitres une eglise parallele. Puis l'examen de sermons de style traditionnel, datant des annees 1950, aide a mieux saisir la permanence du role que se donne la predication inspiree dans la recomposition des concepts d'espace, de temps, d'affirmation de l'identite de chacun lors du service dominical. L'etape suivante approfondit le lien entre le predicateur et la congregation, qui constitue le soubassement social et moral du sermon en tant que litterature orale. Enfin, le sujet s'elargit a une analyse des resonances qu'a pu avoir cette forme dans plusieurs oeuvres de la renaissance d'harlem, dans les annees 1920-1930 - periode ou l'on pensait voir la tradition religieuse afro-americaine bientot disparaitre.