Religion and Popular Culture Unit

Ethics and Literature: How does genre literature present new visions of “the good life,” and/or alternate ethical systems? We are interested in research spanning romance, sci-fi, and fantasy, and works that engage the content and/ or reception of genre literature.

Religion and Game Worlds: What kinds of religions and religious affects are imagined and enacted in contemporary gaming? We welcome work on tabletop games, video games, online games, and trends that characterize contemporary gaming across formats. (Note: Please submit work on teaching with games to the co-sponsored call between the Religion, Media and Culture Unit and the Teaching Religion Unit.)

Optimism and Cheerfulness in Religion and Popular Culture: What do demands for hope, optimism and "good vibes only" tell us about contemporary entanglements of religion and popular culture? What anxieties and aspirations underwrite these demands?

50 Years of Rocky Horror: A celebration of the 50th anniversary of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' We invite proposals on the film and its fandoms, and ideas for a screening accompanied by scholarly intro and discussion. 

Ritual and Large Events (for a possible co-sponsored session with the Ritual Studies Unit): We invite proposals that examine the role of ritual in events that draw large crowds, such as concerts, sporting events, conferences, political rallies, and protests.

For possible co-sponsorship with Japanese Religions: We invite proposals that consider how popular culture acts as a medium for religious expression and expression about religion with reference to Japan. We are interested in works that span mediums (movies, television, music, games, material culture), time periods, and places of production/consumption.

OPEN CALL: We solicit research-based papers and pre-arranged panels on any topic related to the study of religion and popular culture, from any region or time period.