Overview

This book is the first edited collection dedicated to the work of “canonically” metamodern multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Contributors critically examine Stevens' output and impact across the relevant fields of musicology, literature, queer theory, performance studies, religious studies, and cultural studies. The volume provides the first international and interdisciplinary analysis of the music, lyrics, performance process and cultural impact of Sufjan Stevens, through the framework of metamodernism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Tom Drayton (University of East London, UK) ,  Joshua Kalin Busman (UNC Pembroke, USA) ,  Author Maren Haynes Marchesini ,  Greg Dember (Independent scholar, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 14.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 23.00cm
Weight:   0.540kg
ISBN:  

9798216365549

Pages:   272
Publication Date:   05 February 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgements “Words are Futile Devices”: An Introduction Tom Drayton (The University of East London, UK) & Greg Dember (independent scholar) PART I: FAITH 1. “I Heard a Voice in My Mind”: Sacred Self-Protagonizing and the Oscillations of American Evangelicals Joshua K. Busman (University of North Carolina at Pembroke, USA) 2. A Metamodern Analysis of Spirituality Through Music in Sufjan Stevens’ Cover of Bob Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells” Libby Myers (Griffith University, Australia) PART II: LOVE 3. “No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross”: Sufjan Stevens - in Search of (Queer) Faith Ka Ki Samuel Wan (Robert Menzies College, Australia) 4. “Saying It Out Loud Is Hard”: Sufjan Stevens, Queer Interpretation and Fan Reception Heather Salus (independent scholar) 5. “Make Me an Offer I Cannot Refuse:” New Sincerity and the Hermeneutics of Platitude in Sufjan Stevens’ The Ascension Paria Rahmani (University of North Texas, USA) PART III: AMERICANA 6. America, My Beloved: “A Picture of the Scenery” in Sufjan Stevens’ National Mythology Tanya Jones (Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Australia) 7. “Christmas in July”: A Musicological Analysis of Metamodernist Impulses in Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas Collections Daniel White (University of Huddersfield, UK) 8. Sufjan Stevens and the Metamodern Holiday Michael Blouin (Milligan University, USA) PART IV: DEATH 9. The Persistence of the “Murdering Ghost”: Sufjan Stevens and the Hauntology of (Im)Possibilities Debakanya Haldar (University of Florida, USA) 10. Genuflecting Ghost: Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin as Metamodern Mystical Memento Mori Joel Mayward (George Fox University, USA) 11. Sufjan Stevens’ Impossible Soul: Metamodern Intimacy, Polysubjectivity, and Plausible Deniability Maren Haynes Marchesini (independent scholar) About the Contributors Index

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Author Information

Tom Drayton is Senior Lecturer in Theatre at The University of East London, UK. Joshua Kalin Busman is Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Dean of the Esther G. Maynor Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, USA. Maren Haynes Marchesini holds a PhD in ethnomusicology and studies Christian music, ritual, ethics, and identity formation in contexts ranging from American megachurches to progressive and post-Christian organizations. Greg Dember is an independent researcher and co-founder of the popular culture website, What Is Metamodern?. He is the author of Say Hello to Metamodernism: Understanding Today’s Culture of Ironesty, Felt Experience and Empathic Reflexivity (2024).

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