Summary
Contents
Subject index
The growing connections between media, culture and religion are increasingly evident in contemporary society, but until now have rarely been theoretically linked. The contributors to this volume effectively combine these areas into a coherent whole. The issues they examine include: the decline of religious institutions during the late twentieth century; the increasing autonomy and individualized practice of religion; and the surge of media and media-based icons that are often imbued with religious qualities, and the ensuing effect on cultural practices.
Media, Meaning, and Method in Religious Studies
Media, Meaning, and Method in Religious Studies
In his study of the Ituri Pygmies, Colin Turnbull (1961) describes the key role played in their religious life by the molimo, or sacred trumpet. It is used by the tribe's elders to “waken the forest” on whose complex webs of life the Pygmies are utterly dependent. Eventually, having gained their trust, Turnbull is shown the molimo, which is treated with great reverence and secrecy. To his surprise, the Pygmies' most sacred object turns out to be a length of metal drainpipe (pp. 72–73). A similar example of how an unlikely object may be invested with religious meaning was reported recently from San Francisco. A traffic bollard, dumped some years ago in ...
- Loading...