Bloomsbury Reader in the Study of Religion and Popular Culture

Lisle W. Dalton is Professor of Religious Studies at Hartwick College, USA. He is former co-chair of the Religion and Popular Culture Group of the American Academy of Religion. Eric Michael Mazur is Gloria & David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies at Virginia Wesleyan University, USA.Richard J. Callahan, Jr. is Lecturer in Religious Studies at Gonzaga University, USA. He is former co-chair of the Religion and Popular Culture Group of the American Academy of Religion.

This engaging volume demonstrates the growing sophistication of the study of religion and popular culture. It introduces a range of theorists, provides samples of their work, and puts them in a conversation about religion, the popular, and their role in society. This book provides applications to specific examples of popular culture that range from films to festivals and invites the reader to extend the discussion and explore their own examples.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionUnit I. The Study of Religion and Popular CultureIntroduction to Unit I1. Charles Long, “Popular Religion” (2005) and David Chidester, “Planet Hollywood” (2005)Connections: TypologiesUnit II. Foundational Texts in the Study of Religion & Popular CultureIntroduction to Unit II2. Sigmund Freud: “On Dreams” (1904) and “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life” (1911)Connections: Freud, Psychoanalysis, and the Fairy TaleConnections: Freud, Cultural Critique, Self-Help, and Religionized Therapy3. Emile Durkheim: “Origins of These Beliefs” (1915)Connections: Durkheim, Memorial Day, and Civil ReligionConnections: Durkheim and Totemism at the Stadium4. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno: “The Culture Industry” (1944)Connections: Horkheimer, Adorno, Religion, Consumer Culture, and AdvertisingConnections: Horkheimer, Adorno, and Selling Religion5. Paul Tillich: “Aspects of a Religious Analysis of Culture” (1959)Connections: Tillich, Theology, and CultureConnections: Tillich and “The Gospel According to…”6. Roland Barthes: “Myth Today” (1957)Connections: Barthes, Poaching, and FandomConnections: Barthes and Religion as Critique7. Victor Turner: “Betwixt and Between” (1967)Connections: Turner and Liminal RavingConnections: Turner, Religion, Sports, and Digital Gaming8. Mircea Eliade: “The Myths of the Modern World” (1967)Connections: Eliade and the MonomythConnections: Eliade, Myth, and the “Buddy” Genre9. Peter Berger: “Religion and World Construction” (1967)Connections: Berger and McDonald’s as Sacrament of ModernityConnections: Berger and Monsters of Chaos10. Clifford Geertz: “Religion as a Cultural System” (1973)Connections: Geertz at the MoviesConnections: Geertz and the American Flag as a Sacred Symbol11. Edward Said: “Introduction” from Orientalism (1978)Connections: Said, Race, & ReligionConnections: Said’s Orientalism, Religion, and Pop Culture12. Stuart Hall: “Notes on Deconstructing ‘the Popular’” (1981)Connections: Hall, Race, Identity, and Popular MusicConnections: Hall, Dominance, and Resistance through Popular Culture13. Elaine Showalter: “Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness” (1981)Connections: Showalter and the Long Arc of JoanConnections: Showalter and the Varieties of Gender Experience14. Catherine Bell: “Characteristics of Ritual-Like Activities” (1997)Connections: Bell, Religion, and NationalismConnections: Bell and ParadesUnit III. Durable Forms in the Study of Religion & Popular CultureIntroduction to Unit III15. Who We Are: Saints, Heroes, and Monsters16. Where We Are: Sacred Space17. What We Know: Myths and Sacred Texts18. Where We Go: Pilgrimages19. What We Do: Public Ritual, Carnivals, and ParadesBibliographyIndex