Item Detail
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12117
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0
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0
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English
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Outer Image, Inner Things : A Study of the Relationship between Belief System and Artistic Expression
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College Park, Maryland
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University of Maryland
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Ph.D. diss.
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"The present study focused on the structures of the belief systems of two socio-cultural groups, the Mormons and the Amish, and how these structures related to the art form or handcraft of quiltmaking within these two groups. The structures of the belief and social systems of each group were studied and the relationships of these structures to their respective artistic expression were explored. The structures considered were the external boundaries and the internal social organization. The methods used were primarily library research augmented by ethnographic techniques and quantitative data collection. The archival research aspect related to the history of both groups, including both factual data and ideologies. Ethnographic techniques included participant observation and informal interviews. In the quantitative area, guilt raters were presented with slides of Mormon and Amish quilts in triads of two quilts of one style and one of the other. Results indicated that subjects could distinguish between Mormon and Amish quilts. Analysis showed that although both groups have a clearcut boundary system, the Mormon boundaries are permeable and open while those of the Amish are relatively tight and closed. In regard to internal social structures, the Mormons have a strong hierarchical system while that of the Amish is egalitarian. The interaction of the external and internal social structures of the Mormon community tends to encourage eclecticism and impose constraints on creative artistic expression while interaction of the Amish structures tends to create a situation favorable to the development of an artistic style unique to their community. The interactional process of the belief and social structures clearly showed a correlation with the color and pattern variables in artistic expression." [Author's abstract]