Popular culture fandoms, the boundaries of religious studies, and the project of the self

Stardew Valley on maatilasimulaattori, jossa uskonto on vähän kiusallista – Videopelien ja uskonnon tutkimus on nouseva ala

“…Uskonto ei ole harvinainen osa videopelien kirjoa, eikä ole tosin sen enempää korostetusti esillä kuin muutkaan kulttuuriset teemat. Uskonnot ja katsomukset, muiden teemojen joukossa ilmentävät minuuden käsittelemisen mahdollisuuksia; subjektiivisia itsen projekteja (McCloud 2003).…”

Popular culture shaping tourism

“…It is this sense of belonging, affiliation and acceptance (Obst et al , 2002) that contributes to the increasing popularity of popular culture. McCloud (2003) argues that fandoms allow us to negotiate self and belonging in a space where we are disconnected from previously clearly defined roles, communities and identities. Instead, we are confronted with the challenge of having to construct our “best” self-identity within a capitalist environment.…”

Religion and the Pathologization of Fandom: Religion, Reason, and Controversy inMy Little PonyFandom

“…Some of these experiences undoubtedly resemble those found in religious traditions (such as fan conversions), and it is correct to see fans using their fan objects to help to define what it means to be human (Porter 2009, Ammon 2014), which can be seen as a core feature of both implicit and explicit religiosity (Bailey 1997, 48). Yet the use of "religious" language to describe fandom can risk a misunderstanding of concepts such as fan conversion (Hills 2014), and offer a strained reading of popular culture by indulging in what Sean McCloud has called "parallel-mania", in which anything that parallels religious practice becomes a form of religion in and of itself (McCloud 2003). While I would therefore agree that using religious concepts of pilgrimage and experiences of transcendence can at times offer useful insights into fandom (e.g.…”