Implicit Religion in Popular Culture

the Religious Dimensions of Fan Communities

Authors

  • Jennifer Porter Memorial University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.v12i3.271

Keywords:

Popular Culture, Religious Dimensions of Fan Communities

Abstract

Studies of the relationship between religion and popular culture are not new, and the past decade has seen a dramatic burgeoning of interest in this relationship. Explorations of everything from Star Trek to Elvis have appeared in the scholarly literature, often making comparative arguments regarding the religious dimensions of popular culture. However, when scholars explore the religious dimensions of fan communities, analyses tend to pathologize the implicitly religious dimensions of fan experience. The concept of “authenticity” is used to undermine and devalue the sacred spaces that fans create, raising the question of what it means to be authentically religious.

Author Biography

  • Jennifer Porter, Memorial University
    Memorial University

References

Bailey, Edward. 2006. Implicit Religion: An Introduction. London: Middlesex University Press.

Chidester, David. 2005. Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Doss, Erika. 1999. Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith and Image. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press.

Harris, Cheryl and Alison Alexander. 1998. Theorizing Fandom: Fans, Subculture and Identity. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Harris, Cheryl. 1998. A sociology of Television Fandom. In Theorizing Fandom: Fans, Subculture and Identity, edited by Harris, Cheryl and Alison Alexander, 41–54. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Jenkins, Henry. 1992. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. London: Routledge.

Jenkins, Henry. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.

Porter, Jennifer E. 2004. Pilgrimage and the IDIC Ethic: Negotiating the Sacred in a Secular Context. In Intersecting Journeys: Anthropological Perspectives on Pilgrimage and Tourism, edited by Sharon Roseman and Ellen Badone, 160–179. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press.

———. 1999. ® To Boldly Go: Star Trek Convention Attendance as Pilgrimage. In Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Essays on Star Trek, Religion and American Culture, edited by J. Porter and D. McLaren, 245–270. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Possamai, Adam. 2005. Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament. Brussels: Peter Lang.

Sinclair-Faulkner, Tom. 1977. A Puckish Look at Hockey in Canada. In Religion and Culture in Canada, edited by Peter Slater, 383–405. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion.

Published

2010-05-09

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Porter, J. (2010). Implicit Religion in Popular Culture: the Religious Dimensions of Fan Communities. Implicit Religion, 12(3), 271-280. https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.v12i3.271