Music, Education, and Religion: An Invitation

Abstract

As a conclusion to Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements, this chapter reflects upon the considerable ground covered within these pages but also considers new paths for the future. Attending to each aspect of the intersections in turn, I first question just what we mean when we write about religion in what has been characterized as a secular, or postsecular, age. As the introduction states, definitions of the religious and the secular are multiple and multifaceted, a rich and diverse tapestry of beliefs, practices, and meanings. Such complexity is also true of other issues and ideas raised in the chapters of this book, which I turn to next in a consideration of culture, considering how it is manifest through understandings of identity and community. As we navigate this world (and others) in relation with others, I finally question the direction in which we are headed, particularly focusing on the ideals of social justice as they are raised in this book. These discussions serve as an invitation to reflect on how far we have come and also to imagine the directions that future scholarship at the intersection of music, education, and religion may take.