FORT WAYNE, Ind. — After a sabbatical and seven years of research, Dr. David Mullins, University of Saint Francis professor of sociology has released his latest book, “Sacred Marriages: A Discourse Analysis” published by Routledge.
Dr. Mullins takes the study of religion and marriage in a new direction by using a postmodern theoretical framework focused on gendered discourse and culture to examine the meanings of sacred marriages within social contexts.
His original research includes interviews with couples who have been married a long time and Christian marriage advice manuals to explore how couples use religious and nonreligious discourses and cultures to give their marriages meaning, and how those sacred meanings are used in their daily lives and the spaces that they embody. The sacred bond between husband and wife sometimes subordinates other relationships, even relationships with children. Dr. Mullins argues that sacred marriages are malleable and people bend religious culture to form new and altered sacred marriages during emotional extremes.
“Sacred Marriages: A Discourse Analysis” is currently available on Amazon and directly from Routledge.com.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the University of Saint Francis expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.