Item Detail
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11520
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3
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0
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English
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Mormonism and Tourist Art in Hawaii
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Tempe, Arizona
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Arizona State University
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Ph.D. diss.
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"The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) in Laie, Hawaii, is a popular and very profitable ethnic theme park operated by the Mormon church. Although catering to tourist audiences, the activities of the Center, or PCC, embody a number of beliefs that are fundamental to Mormonism, including reverence for ancestors, elevation of materialism with a religious importance, and fascination with ancient Polynesian origins. In addition, aesthetic analysis of the Center's arrangement reveals a theme and variation form that unifies the Center's components into a single, complex work of tourist art. As such, the PCC is suitable for a formal comparison with other complex Mormon expressions including the Book of Mormon and other scriptural works, as well as the sacred temple endowment. Interviews with Center employees and tourists alike also reveal that the Center has a quasi-sacred content, and performs a function that is in many ways equivalent to that of the temple ceremonies. In addition to explaining the function, form, and content of the PCC, then, the present study also demonstrates the formerly undocumented capacity of tourist art to express religious meanings and perform sacred functions." [Author's abstract]