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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">BJCR</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title xml:lang="en">British Journal of Contemporary Research</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title xml:lang="en">BJCR</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn>2979-8582</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Bexford Publishing Ltd</publisher-name>
        <publisher-loc><uri>https://bexfordpublishing.co.uk</uri></publisher-loc>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">BEX_JUL_26_043</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.67693/BJCR-QRM6DW4G</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group xml:lang="en" subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Original Research Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title xml:lang="en">Sacred Music as Social Capital: Lessons from the Jagannath Tradition for Community Cohesion and Cultural Sustainability</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group content-type="author">
      <contrib corresp="yes">
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Dr. Sarbeswar Baitharu</given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>drsarbeswarbaitharu@gmail.com</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Faculty of Music, Department of Music, Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya, India</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="epub">
        <day>10</day>
        <month>08</month>
        <year>2026</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>1</volume>
      <issue>3</issue>
      
      
      <pub-history>
        <event event-type="received">
          <event-desc>Received: <date date-type="received">
            <day>07</day>
            <month>07</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
        
        <event event-type="accepted">
          <event-desc>Accepted: <date date-type="accepted">
            <day>15</day>
            <month>07</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
      </pub-history>
      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Sarbeswar Baitharu</copyright-statement>
        <copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
        <license xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">
          <license-p>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract><p>Sacred music has historically served functions that extend beyond ritual performance, contributing to social cohesion, cultural continuity, and the transmission of collective knowledge. While previous scholarship has examined the Jagannath tradition from historical, religious, and cultural perspectives, limited attention has been paid to its role in generating social capital within communities. This conceptual paper explores the relationship between sacred music and social capital through the lens of the Jagannath tradition of Odisha, India. Drawing upon the theories of Bourdieu (1986), Coleman (1988), and Putnam (2000), together with scholarship in ethnomusicology, community music, and cultural sustainability, the study proposes that sacred musical practices associated with Lord Jagannath foster trust, reciprocity, shared identity, and intergenerational knowledge transmission. The paper employs a qualitative conceptual methodology based on thematic analysis of existing literature to identify the mechanisms through which sacred music strengthens community participation and preserves intangible cultural heritage. The study further argues that the Jagannath tradition provides an internationally relevant model for understanding how community-based musical practices contribute to sustainable cultural development in an era of globalization. The proposed conceptual framework has implications for music education, cultural policy, heritage management, and community development, while offering avenues for future comparative research across sacred musical traditions worldwide.</p></abstract>
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