scholarly journals The sacralisation of popular culture as adolescent lived spirituality

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Apostolides
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Fantasy Literature ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Film Series ◽  
Lived Theology ◽  
Sacred Canopy ◽  
Urban Fantasy

Many adolescents are drawn to the fantasy, science fiction and urban fantasy genres (movies and books), genres whose main characters include witches, wizards, vampires, ghosts, angels, demons, aliens and various other supernatural beings and events. Books and movies such as The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (film series), Harry Potter (film series), X-Files, Twilight (film series), Star Wars (film series), and so on, are not only fervently consumed by some adolescents but have also, in some instances, been sacralised by adolescents (see Hopper 2005:116, McAvan 2012:5–10, Kirby 2013:2). In this article it will be argued that the reason for this, is that adolescents while questioning their identities and exploring their spiritualties, need a ‘safe spiritual space’ for this journey, one which may be related as something akin to what Berger termed the ‘sacred canopy’ where order can keep chaos at bay (Berger 1967: 51). This article will build on a lived theology perspective of how the divine can be experienced in the sources offered by popular culture texts that may become a ‘sacred canopy’ under which the adolescents can express their spiritual journeys.This article hopes to contribute to the facilitation of more conversations taking place amongst parents, pastors and teachers on the importance of allowing adolescents more freedom in what movies and books they are allowed to see and read. These conversations may also be employed by pastors, parents and teachers as conversation openers with adolescents who are often reluctant to open up about topics that they find difficult to discuss. Osmer and Salazar-Newton (2014:70) encourage the church to ‘think of ways it can take advantage of the interest of children and youth in fantasy literature,’ on their spiritual life journeys.

Biblical Prophecy and Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction

2020 ◽  
pp. 182-200
Author(s):  
David G. Garber
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Femme Fatale ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
American Popular Culture ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Prophetic Literature ◽  
Battlestar Galactica ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
History Of

Prophets and prophecy pervade American popular culture, particularly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. The history of reception of prophetic literature through a dominant Western Christian paradigm has described prophets as liminal characters who perform specific functions in the narrative, often as guides to the central protagonist (e.g., The Matrix Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings). Sagas such as A Song of Ice and Fire and Star Wars often treat prophecies as plot devices dependent on patterns of prediction and fulfillment. Sometimes, however, popular culture itself assumes the prophetic task of speaking truth to power and critiques aspects of the biblical tradition. Some episodes of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, for example, critique the tendency to ascribe evil to a femme fatale in a manner similar to how feminist biblical critics have approached misogynistic traditions within the biblical prophets.

Fantasy

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Butler
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Fairy Tales ◽  
Film History ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
Lumiere Brothers ◽  
Quest Narratives

Fantasy films can be traced to the early years of film history and Georges Méliès, cinema’s first great fantasist, in particular. Méliès is often presented (somewhat simplistically) as embodying one of the two fountainheads of cinema, alongside the documentary realism of the Lumière brothers, placing fantasy as a vital founding impulse in film. Fantasy films represent hopes and desires for better or alternative worlds, and through the technical developments required to portray those worlds, they have contributed significantly to the development of cinema and how we experience it. For many, fantasy films are typified by formulaic products—fairy tales for children and heroic quest narratives in magical pseudo-medieval realms for adolescents—but the range of fantasy films is remarkable, taking in popular mainstream “classics” (e.g., The Wizard of Oz [1939]), big-budget franchises (e.g., Harry Potter), small-scale independent projects (e.g., Tideland [2005]), and films by prominent figures in so-called art-house cinema (e.g., Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander [1982]). That diversity and perceived emphasis on the populist and juvenile has contributed to the academic literature on fantasy film being slow to develop. Although the Freudian notion of fantasy as a psychic process to help negotiate and repress traumatic memories meant that the psychoanalytical term “fantasy” was often evident, especially in the “grand theory” flourishing across film studies in the 1970s–1990s, there was relatively little discussion of fantasy films in the sense of narrative fictions featuring worlds or events that in some way break empirically (or magically) and ontologically with the known laws of our universe. From the 1980s, science fiction and horror cinema began to accumulate a substantial literature, but the more amorphous notion of fantasy would lag far behind: scattered articles rather than sustained dialogue, despite the early and mid-1980s seeing sustained fantasy filmmaking, especially from Hollywood. Defining fantasy has been problematic (e.g., is it a coherent genre? Is it a broader impulse to move away from mimetic representations of what is understood to be empirical and ontological reality? In what way can (or should) it be distinguished from science fiction and horror?), but it has also suffered from suspicious intellectual schools of thought (Marxism not least). Perhaps inevitably, given the influx of films released in the wake of the phenomenal success of The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and Harry Potter films revealing a “global hunger” for fantasy, as Susan Napier refers to it in Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation (Napier 2005, cited under Individual Genres), the 2000s witnessed a welcome change with the publication of several introductory texts on studying fantasy film, collections on aspects of fantasy film, monographs on individual films, and articles from a wealth of theoretical perspectives.

It’s About Faith In Our Future

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Jindra
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Star Trek ◽  
Entertainment Industry ◽  
Television Series ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Cultural Themes

This chapter examines the fandom that has grown up around the Star Trek movies and television series, arguing that the entertainment industry also creates meanings that begin to function in religious ways for consumers of popular culture. Popular culture has become an independent producer of mythical narratives, a reflection of cultural themes and a producer of new ones. Though often using indirect religious themes and imagery (as in Star Wars or Harry Potter), the narratives and messages have been formally cut off from the religious traditions that have dominated Western culture over the centuries. In other words, parts of popular culture have taken their place alongside the mainstream religious traditions, ideologies, and narratives that have guided people's lives.

Closet cosplay: Everyday expressions of science fiction and fantasy fandom among women

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50
Author(s):  
Dina Smith ◽  
Casey Stannar ◽  
Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
American Science ◽  
Interactionist Perspective ◽  
Social Interactionist ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Some American science fiction and fantasy (SF&F) female fans participate in Cosplay or costume play, the global practice of dressing in costume and performing fictional characters from popular culture. Cosplay is typically only socially sanctioned at conventions and other fan events, leaving fans searching for new ways to express their fandom in everyday life. Closet cosplay is one solution in which everyday clothing and accessories can be worn to express fandom. The motivations for wearing everyday fan fashion have been only briefly mentioned by other authors or studied within limited social contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore SF&F female fans' participation in closet cosplay as it is worn in everyday contexts. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted using a social interactionist perspective, and Sarah Thornton's concept of subcultural capital and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital. Semi-structured, online interviews were conducted with sixteen participants who wore closet cosplay related to SF&F films and/or television series, which included Star Wars, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Disney films, Harry Potter and anime fandoms like Sailor Moon (1995‐2000). The interview data were analysed using NVivo qualitative analysis software and the constant comparison method. Two themes emerged from the data: the definition of closet cosplay and motivations for wearing closet cosplay. Through examining these themes, it was evident that female SF&F fans used closet cosplay to express a salient fan identity, which enabled them to simultaneously gain subcultural capital and feminized cultural capital.

Harry, Frodo, and Neo

2019 ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Sophia Moskalenko ◽  
Clark McCauley
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Popular Appeal ◽  
The World ◽  
Definition Of

Looking first for evidence in popular culture, the authors ask whether martyrdom stories still inspire today as they did 2,000 years ago. Three blockbuster stories that became cultural icons turn out to be martyrdom stories: the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, and the Matrix trilogy. At the heart of each, the authors uncover a story that fits the definition of martyrdom. What’s more, their popular appeal around the world seems to be associated with the parallels they share with the Gospel story of Jesus.

scholarly journals The Gospel According to Disney+’s “The Mandalorian”

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 350
Author(s):  
Ruben van Wingerden
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Religious Language ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Modern Myth

The Mandalorian is a very popular science-fiction show (two seasons, 2019–2020) set in the famous Star Wars Universe. Studies have shown that myth and religious thought played a crucial role in the creation of the Star Wars Universe. This article continues that tradition, albeit from a particular perspective that highlights religious language: by viewing The Mandalorian through a New Testament lens, it is argued that while many elements of popular culture reference Biblical or mythological sources, The Mandalorian’s use of these referents illustrates the way in which ancient religious and New Testament literature are still very much a shared phenomenon. Both The Mandalorian and the New Testament share certain timeless topoi: a mysterious character with extraordinary abilities, a connection to life-giving powers of the universe that give extraordinary abilities, choosing a certain way of life and the costs thereof, and also themes such as “debt”, “redemption”, and “beliefs” and how these are challenged. By using these themes, The Mandalorian presents itself as a modern myth.

scholarly journals Hobbits, Hogwarts, and the Heavens: The use of fantasy literature and film in astronomy outreach and education

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S260) ◽  
pp. 306-310
Author(s):  
Kristine Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Harry Potter ◽  
Fantasy Literature ◽  
Science Centers ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Philip Pullman ◽  
His Dark Materials ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Chronicles Of Narnia ◽  
Education And Outreach ◽  
Literature And Film

AbstractDue in part to recent (and ongoing) film adaptations, the fantasy series of C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials), and J.R.R. Tolkien (The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings) are being introduced to a new audience. Many astronomers and astronomy educators are unaware of the wide variety of astronomical references contained in each series, and the myriad possible uses of these works in astronomy education and outreach. This paper highlights activities which educators, planetariums, and science centers have already developed to utilise these works in their education and outreach programs.

Fans and Fan Activism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas V. Maher
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Professional Sports ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Media Access ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Sports Team ◽  
Important Site

Fan communities have been actively celebrating popular culture like the Harry Potter books and films, the music and fashion of Beyoncé, Korean pop sensation BTS, and the Star Wars media empire, as well as nearly every professional sports team for decades; and research on fans and fan communities has grown alongside them. The proliferation of internet and social media access has made fandom even more prominent. This chapter summarizes and synthesizes existing fandom research while highlighting how digital media have influenced fandom. First, it argues that fandom is best conceptualized as an ideal type organized around consumption, knowledge, engagement, community, identity, and emotional connection and that the internet has made each element more accessible. It then describes how fandom research has demonstrated that—as subcultures—fan communities can replicate and enact many of the same class, gender, and race inequities seen in broader society, although not identically. These inequities are evident in how society responds to different fandoms as well as fans’ experiences within their communities. Finally, it summarizes the growing literature on how fan communities have been mobilized for pro-social and activist behavior. These fan activists are adept at such behavior because they have tapped into the skills and knowledge they developed through their fandom, their proximity to mass cultural events like book and movie releases, and their communities’ potential as a source of bloc recruitment. In sum, fan communities are an important site of community and identity and an important subject of analysis in an increasingly digitized world.

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