Saint, Hero, Subject: Memory Ethics and the Afterlives of Pauli Murray Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This dissertation examines the afterlives of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Drawing on archival material, original interviews, and a wide range of commemorative materials, it traces several of the routes that Murray’s memory has traveled since her death in 1985 and analyzes the processes through which she became an Episcopal saint and an American hero in the second decade of the twenty-first century. In doing so, it demonstrates that these categories are not fixed designations but sites of ongoing interpretive struggle, co-produced through the interaction of grassroots activists and institutional authorities. As an interdisciplinary project situated at the intersection of Christian social ethics and memory studies, “Saint, Hero, Subject” also attends to the diverse moral and political significance that Murray’s life holds for those who commemorate her as a saint or a hero and considers what Murray’s own reflections on history and memory can offer to those who remember her today.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION    

Sources, Methods, Limitations, and Challenges - 6

Dissertation Outline - 10

PART I: SUBJECT - 14

Chapter One: Pauli Murray, Memory Theorist and Practitioner - 16

History, Precedent, and the Law - 16

Memory, Tradition, and The Episcopal Church - 22

Family Heritage, White Supremacy, and Proud Shoes - 27

Conclusion - 60

PART II: SAINT - 62

Chapter Two: Sainthood and The Episcopal Church - 64

Origins and Evolution of Saint Discourse, Pre-Episcopal Church - 64

Saints and the Evolution of the Episcopal Calendar - 68

Conclusion - 84

Chapter Three: Blessed Pauli Murray, Episcopal Saint - 86

Journey into the Calendar - 87

The Cult of Blessed Pauli Murray - 115

Conclusion - 135

PART III: HERO - 140

Chapter Four: Hero Commemoration and the US Nation State - 142

Trends in National Hero Discourse, Mid-1800s–Present - 146

Conclusion - 167

Chapter Five: Pauli Murray, American Hero - 168

The Makings of a National Historic Landmark, Birth of an American Hero - 168

Conclusion - 202

CONCLUSION - 211

Cause for Concern - 215

Despair and Authoritarian Omnipotence - 216

Anger and Opportunity - 218

Connection and Coalitions - 221

BIBLIOGRAPHY 223

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Religion
Subfield / Discipline	Ethics and Society
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Religion, General Ethics
Keyword	National Historic Landmark The Episcopal Church Lesser Feasts and Fasts Pauli Murray Civil Rights Memory Queer Memory
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Marshall, Ellen Ott, Emory University Bammer, Angelika, Emory University
Committee Members	Azaransky, Sarah, Union Theological Seminary Young, Thelathia Nikki, Haverford College Smith, Ted A., Emory University

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