The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom

Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture
Herausgeber: Cusack, Carole M.; Robertson, Venetia Laura Delano; Morehead, John W.

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

To the casual observer, similarities between fan communities and religious believers are difficult to find. Religion is traditional, institutional, and serious; whereas fandom is contemporary, individualistic, and fun. Can the robes of nuns and priests be compared to cosplay outfits of Jedi Knights and anime characters? Can travelling to fan conventions be understood as pilgrimages to the shrines of saints? These new essays investigate fan activities connected to books, film, and online games, such as Harry Potter-themed weddings, using The Hobbit as a sacred text, and taking on heroic roles in World of Warcraft. Young Muslim women cosplayers are brought into conversation with Chaos magicians who use pop culture tropes and characters. A range of canonical texts, such as Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sherlock--are examined in terms of the pleasure and enchantment of repeated viewing. Popular culture is revealed to be a fertile source of religious and spiritual creativity in the contemporary world.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 210
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. April 2019
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 13mm
• Gewicht: 349g
• ISBN-13: 9781476670836
• ISBN-10: 1476670838
• Artikelnr.: 55088832

Autorenporträt

Carole M. Cusack is a professor of religious studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. John W. Morehead is an independent scholar who specializes in new religious movements, the intersection of religion and popular culture, and interreligious conflict. He lives in Syracuse, Utah. Venetia Laura Delano Robertson is a teaching fellow at Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand. She has written about religion and fandom for the International Journal of Cultural Studies and Journal for the Academic Study of Religion.

Inhaltsangabe

Table of Contents
Introduction: The Study of Fandom and Religion (Carole M. Cusack and
Venetia Laura Delano Robertson)
Part 1. Sacred Reading: Analyzing the Text
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text: Fiction, Reading
and Meaning-Making (Carole M. Cusack )15
Doctrine and Fanon: George Lindbeck, Han's Gun
and Sherlock's Gay Wedding (Rhiannon Grant)
Supernatural's Winchester Gospel: A Fantastic Midrash (Linda Howell)
"Seizing the Means of Perception": The Use of Fiction in Chaos Magic and
Occultural Fandom (Greg Conley)
Part 2. Sacred Viewing: Watching the Text
Cinephany, the Affective Experience of the Fan: A Typology (Marc
Joly-Corcoran)
Experiencing the Sacred: The Hobbit as a Holy Text (Jyrki Korpua, Maria
Ruotsalainen, Minna Siikilä-Laitila, Tanja Välisalo
and Irma Hirsjärvi)
Transformative Souls and Transformed Selves: Buffy, Angel
and the Daimonic Tale (James Reynolds)
Part 3. Sacred Play: Performing the Text
Until the End of the World: Fans as Messianic Heroes
in World of Warcraft (Jovi L. Geraci)
Muslim Women Cosplayers: Intersecting Religious, Cultural
and Fan Identities (Juli L. Gittinger)
Magical Matrimony: Romance and Enchantment in Harry Potter-Themed Weddings
(Venetia Laura Delano Robertson)
Afterword: Fantastic Fan Conventions and Transformational
Festivals (John W. Morehead)
About the Contributors
Index