Online Conference on Studying Media & Religion from Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives

Introduction to the Conference

Through a series of videos, members of the Glasscock 3-year Seminar on Media and Religion present the findings from their individual research projects and offer panel discussions that reflects on how this interdisciplinary collaboration influenced corporate thinking on religious identity and authority when performed through mediated contexts. The conference culminates with responses from recognized scholars in Media, Religion and Culture studies interacting on ideas shared within the seminar.

Seminar Summary

Bringing together established and new scholars in this area of scholarly inquiry from a variety of disciplines, many not typically associated with the study of media and religion, enabled the creation of a unique multi-disciplinary conversation around shared questions of how different historic and contemporary forms of media inform and influence religious meanings, messages and communities in contemporary society. In order to focus this conversation, scholars were asked to explore the presentation and performance of religious identity in media contexts and the negotiation of religious authority within media culture in relation to a specific research project. This enabled individuals who might not normally interact with each other the opportunity to share their research interests and learn from each other’s disciplinary perspectives on the different ways scholars conceive of and approach religious identity and authority. As religion and media continue to be important social and cultural forces in the 21st century, their intersection also continues to impact our discourse and perceptions in a globalized, networked society. Therefore we need to look at the possibilities and tensions created by these meeting from a variety of perspectives. This seminar seek to offer new frames and theoretical reflections on how issues of religious identity and authority can be approached and interrogated.

Researcher Profiles & Project Summaries

Panel Discussions

Responses