The Making of a Modern Saint: An Analysis of Grief, Charisma, and Community Identity in Transition (thesis)

Abstract

In concluding this research, I will briefly recount the analytical progress that has been made. Such concluding remarks reaffirm the theoretical model. Primarily, however, my conclusion will engage with this very idea of sanctification. The presence of Kyle as a modern saint in the ongoing iterations of the UBC community is the ultimate assertion. It is an assertion that is paramount for both individual and collective identity constructions; indeed, it is the assertion that has made this work intriguing for some time. However, the assertion is also a loaded one. As such, in concluding I hope to pose – and attempt to at least partially answer – two questions: What does this sanctification mean for the community? Is Kyle's sanctification problematic? Should my opinions and proposals not suffice, I believe these questions leave vast opportunity for continued research into the power of personality and community in modern groups. [From Introduction]