Acknowledgments Introduction Unit I. The Study of Religion and Popular Culture Introduction to Unit I 1. Charles Long, “Popular Religion” (2005) and David Chidester, “Planet Hollywood” (2005) Connections: Typologies Unit II. Foundational Texts in the Study of Religion & Popular Culture Introduction to Unit II 2. Sigmund Freud: “On Dreams” (1904) and “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life” (1911) Connections: Freud, Psychoanalysis, and the Fairy Tale Connections: Freud, Cultural Critique, Self-Help, and Religionized Therapy 3. Emile Durkheim: “Origins of These Beliefs” (1915) Connections: Durkheim, Memorial Day, and Civil Religion Connections: Durkheim and Totemism at the Stadium 4. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno: “The Culture Industry” (1944) Connections: Horkheimer, Adorno, Religion, Consumer Culture, and Advertising Connections: Horkheimer, Adorno, and Selling Religion 5. Paul Tillich: “Aspects of a Religious Analysis of Culture” (1959) Connections: Tillich, Theology, and Culture Connections: Tillich and “The Gospel According to…” 6. Roland Barthes: “Myth Today” (1957) Connections: Barthes, Poaching, and Fandom Connections: Barthes and Religion as Critique 7. Victor Turner: “Betwixt and Between” (1967) Connections: Turner and Liminal Raving Connections: Turner, Religion, Sports, and Digital Gaming 8. Mircea Eliade: “The Myths of the Modern World” (1967) Connections: Eliade and the Monomyth Connections: Eliade, Myth, and the “Buddy” Genre 9. Peter Berger: “Religion and World Construction” (1967) Connections: Berger and McDonald’s as Sacrament of Modernity Connections: Berger and Monsters of Chaos 10. Clifford Geertz: “Religion as a Cultural System” (1973) Connections: Geertz at the Movies Connections: Geertz and the American Flag as a Sacred Symbol 11. Edward Said: “Introduction” from Orientalism (1978) Connections: Said, Race, & Religion Connections: Said’s Orientalism, Religion, and Pop Culture 12. Stuart Hall: “Notes on Deconstructing ‘the Popular’” (1981) Connections: Hall, Race, Identity, and Popular Music Connections: Hall, Dominance, and Resistance through Popular Culture 13. Elaine Showalter: “Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness” (1981) Connections: Showalter and the Long Arc of Joan Connections: Showalter and the Varieties of Gender Experience 14. Catherine Bell: “Characteristics of Ritual-Like Activities” (1997) Connections: Bell, Religion, and Nationalism Connections: Bell and Parades Unit III. Durable Forms in the Study of Religion & Popular Culture Introduction to Unit III 15. Who We Are: Saints, Heroes, and Monsters 16. Where We Are: Sacred Space 17. What We Know: Myths and Sacred Texts 18. Where We Go: Pilgrimages 19. What We Do: Public Ritual, Carnivals, and Parades Bibliography Index

This engaging volume demonstrates the growing sophistication of the study of religion and popular culture. It introduces a range of theorists, provides samples of their work, and puts them in a conversation about religion, the popular, and their role in society. This book provides applications to specific examples of popular culture that range from films to festivals and invites the reader to extend the discussion and explore their own examples.