Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality write by Carole M. Cusack. This book was released on 2016-11-18. Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The twentieth century was a period of rapid change for religion. Secularisation resulted in a dramatic fall in church attendance in the West, and the 1950s and 1960s saw the introduction of new religions including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the Church of Scientology, and the Children of God. New religions were regarded with suspicion by society in general and Religious Studies scholars alike until the 1990s, when the emergence of a second generation of 'new new' religions – based on popular cultural forms including films, novels, computer games and comic books – and highly individualistic spiritualities confirmed the utter transformation of the religio-spiritual landscape. Indeed, Scientology and ISKCON appeared almost traditional and conservative when compared to the radically de-institutionalised, eclectic, parodic, fun-loving and experimental fiction-based, invented and hyper-real religions. In this book, scholarly treatments of cutting-edge religious and spiritual trends are brought into conversation with contributions by representatives of Dudeism, the Church of All Worlds, the Temple of the Jedi Order and Tolkien spirituality groups. This book will simultaneously entertain, shock, challenge and delight scholars of religious studies, as well as those with a wider interest in new religious movements.
The Superhero Symbol
The Superhero Symbol - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Superhero Symbol write by Liam Burke. This book was released on 2019-12-13. The Superhero Symbol available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Bringing together superhero scholars and key industry figures The Superhero Symbol unmasks how superheroes have become so pervasive in media, culture, and politics. This timely collection explores how these powerful icons are among the entertainment industry's most valuable intellectual properties, yet can be appropriated for everything from activism to cosplay and real-life vigilantism.
The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom
The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom write by Carole M. Cusack. This book was released on 2019-05-07. The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. 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.
The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief
The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief write by Alison James. This book was released on 2023-12-22. The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief offers a fresh reevaluation of the relationship between fiction and belief, surveying key debates and perspectives from a range of disciplines including narrative and cultural studies, science, religion, and politics. This volume draws on global, cutting edge research and theory to investigate the historically variable understandings of fictionality, and allows readers to grasp the role of fictions in our understanding of the world. This interdisciplinary approach provides a thorough introduction to the fundamental themes of: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives on Fiction Fiction, Fact, and Science Social Effects and Uses of Fiction Fiction and Politics Fiction and Religion Questioning how fictions in fact shape, mediate or distort our beliefs about the real world, essays in this volume outline the state of theoretical debates from the perspectives of literary theory, philosophy, sociology, religious studies, history, and the cognitive sciences. It aims to take stock of the real or supposed effects that fiction has on the world, and to offer a wide-reaching reflection on the implications of belief in fictions in the so-called “post-truth” era.
Handbook of Hyper-real Religions
Handbook of Hyper-real Religions - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Handbook of Hyper-real Religions write by . This book was released on 2012-03-28. Handbook of Hyper-real Religions available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Today a new trend is clearly discernable, that of ‘hyper-real religions’. These are innovative religions and spiritualities that mix elements of religious traditions with popular culture. If we imagine a spectrum of intensity of the merging of popular culture with religion, we might find, at one end, groups practicing Jediism appropriated from the Star Wars movies, Matrixism from the Matrix trilogy, and neo-pagan rites based on stories from The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. At the other end of the spectrum, members of mainstream religions, such as Christianity can be influenced or inspired by, for example, The Da Vinci Code. Through various case studies, this book studies the on- and off-line religious/spiritual consumption of these narratives through a social scientific approach.
