Open Access‘… Earth’s proud empires pass away…’: The glorification and critique of power in songs and hymns of Imperial Britain
Author(s) -
Gertrud Tönsing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
hts teologiese studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.282
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2072-8050
pISSN - 0259-9422
DOI - 10.4102/hts.v73i3.3637
Subject(s) - power (physics) , empire , faith , politics , identity (music) , british empire , history , aesthetics , literature , sociology , political economy , political science , art , law , ancient history , philosophy , theology , physics , quantum mechanics
Songs and hymns shape faith and play a part in shaping political landscapes. They can be used to build or maintain power as well as to critique and challenge it. This has been true for South Africa, and some brief examples will be given. But this article focuses on hymns and patriotic songs from the time of the British Empire and explores how they portray power, entrench superiority or build a common, global Christian identity.