Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes

"Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes" by Howard Washington Odum is a scholarly collection written in the early 20th century. This work explores the deeply rooted cultural and spiritual expressions of the Southern Black community through their folk-songs, particularly focusing on religious spirituals. Odum aims to preserve and analyze these songs as vital contributions to understanding the identity, emotion, and inner life of the Southern Negro, reflecting their unique social and historical experiences. At the start of the dissertation, Odum discusses the significance of folk-songs in revealing the essence of a race's character and spiritual life. He emphasizes that these songs are not merely musical expressions, but critical insights into the emotions, beliefs, and communal experiences of the Southern Negroes. The opening portion introduces themes such as the complexity of race relations, the importance of accurate representation, and the evolving nature of these songs—ranging from traditional spirituals to contemporary compositions—each reflecting the ongoing struggles and hopes of a people traditionally marginalized. Thus, the work sets the stage for a comprehensive examination of the folk-songs that form the foundation of this cultural heritage. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Howard Washington Odum was a white American sociologist and author who researched African-American life and folklore. Beginning in 1920, he served as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina, founding the university press, the journal Social Forces, and what is now the Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, all in the 1920s. He also founded the university's School of Public Welfare, one of the first in the Southeast. With doctorates in psychology and sociology, he wrote extensively across academic disciplines, influencing several fields and publishing three novels in addition to 20 scholarly texts.