Page 2 - Key Words in Religion Media and Culture

Key Words in Religion, Media and Culture

‘From The Passion of the Christ to the presumed “clash of civilizations”, religion’s
role in culture is increasingly contested and mediated. Key Words in Religion, Media,
and Culture is a welcome and interdisciplinary contribution that maps the territory
for those who aim to make sense of it all. Highlighting the important concepts
guiding state-of-the-art research into religion, media, and culture, this book is bound
to become an important and frequently consulted resource among scholars both
seasoned and new to the field.’
Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and
the Supernatural and editor of Religion, Media, and the Marketplace

‘David Morgan has assembled here a fine team of scholars to prove beyond a doubt
that the intersections of religion, media, and culture constitute one of the most
stimulating fields of inquiry around today. Definitions of religion and culture require
renewed and robust readings in light of newer forms of (mass) mediation, and the
contributors deliver the goods. This highly useful and theoretically sophisticated text
will likely assume “ritual” status in this emergent field.’
Rosalind I. J. Hackett, Distinguished Professor in the Humanities
and Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee, USA

‘This volume is a major intervention in the literature on religion, media and culture.
Drawing together leading international scholars, it offers a conceptual map of the
field to which students, teachers and researchers will refer for many years to come.
The publication of Key Words in Religion, Media and Culture is a significant moment
in the formation of this area of study, and sets a standard for cross-disciplinary
collaboration and theoretical and methodological sophistication for future work in
this area to follow.’
Gordon Lynch, Professor in the Sociology of Religion,
Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

‘This book offers a range of refreshing essays on the relationships between media and
religion. Its selected key words open doors to understanding contemporary society.
The cultural perspectives on mediation and religious practices give some illuminating
and surprising analyses.’
Knut Lundby, University of Oslo, Norway

David Morgan is Professor of Religion at Duke University, USA. Author of several
books, including Visual Piety (1998) and The Lure of Images (Routledge, 2007), he is
also co-editor of the journal Material Religion.