|
Religion and Media is the name of a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship. It takes as its object of study a wide range of practices, discourses, and representations through approaches that challenge existing theoretical and methodological boundaries in communication studies, religious studies, cultural history, journalism, anthropology, sociology, art history, and other disciplines. More than simply the study of ‘religion in the news’, or of representations of religious figures on TV and film, research in the area of religion and media addresses the multiple, sometimes counterintuitive, and often paradoxical ways (ancient, modern, and contemporary) religions relate to processes, practices and technologies of mediated communication. This field of study also opens up new opportunities for public debate, artistic expression, and inter-cultural exchange that are vital to the future of public life, in Canada and elsewhere in the world. With the rising visibility of religious movements and proliferating conflicts over religious ideas, practices, identities, and adherences, there is an evident need for thoughtful engagement about the place of religion in social life. Central to such an endeavour is the need to understand the historical processes that have shaped the ways 'religion' is deeply implicated in the modern media landscape, including its public-making practices, systems of economic and symbolic exchange, and technological conditions for action. Scholars in religion and media are debating these questions inexciting new ways, showing the importance of media, and the very idea of mediation, for thinking about religion, and also things that tend to be categorized as the 'other' of religion, i.e., so-called 'secular' modes of identity, practice, and knowledge. I have had the good fortune to participate in this evolving discussion, and to collaborate with scholars working on religion and media in Canada, the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, and Brazil (among other places). My contributions have been centred around a couple ofresearch projects (described elsewhere on this site), as well as attempts to make some general comments about the state of the field and its future prospects (see, for instance, my article, "Religion and/as Media" in the journal,Theory, Culture and Society -- the full reference can be found in "About Jeremy Stolow"). Tolearn more about scholarship and research activities in religion andmedia, and related topics, check out the following sites: Center for Religion and Media (New York University) Center for Media, Religion, & Culture (University of Colorado) Research Centre for Religion and Society (University of Amsterdam) Mass Media and Religion Project (Netherlands) The Media and Theology Project (U of Edinburgh) Centre d’Études Interdisciplinaires des Faits Religieux (Paris) Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art, and Belief Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts and Contemporary Worlds |
