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The authors of religious scriptures have rarely had difficulty
enhancing sacred narratives with the rhetoric of violence. The
phenomenon continues in the easy cohabitation of violence and
religion in film, music and literature, and this raises a number of
important questions: To what degree does violent rhetoric shape
belief and values? How might we understand the social function of
violence in popular discourses? How might we understand audience
empathy with violent protagonists in popular narratives? What is
the significance of violence being associated with particular
religious groups or ideas in the media? Reflecting on these issues
in depth and with striking originality, scholars of religious
studies, biblical studies, film studies and sociology have analysed
a range of phenomena, from the discourse of terrorism to the
spectacle of World Wrestling Entertainment. The result is a vital
contribution to understanding an area of religious and cultural
discourse that is relevant to us all.
The second edition of The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and
Popular Music provides an updated, state-of-the-art analysis of the
most important themes and concepts in the field, combining research
in religious studies, theology, critical musicology, cultural
analysis, and sociology. It comprises 30 updated essays and six new
chapters covering the following areas: · Popular Music, Religion,
and Performance · Musicological Perspectives · Popular Music and
Religious Syncretism · Atheism and Popular Music · Industrial
Music and Noise · K-pop The Handbook continues to provide a guide
to methodology, key genres and popular music subcultures, as well
as an extensive updated bibliography. It remains the essential tool
for anyone with an interest in popular culture generally and
religion and popular music in particular.
This volume presents students and scholars with a comprehensive
overview of the fascinating world of the occult. It explores the
history of Western occultism, from ancient and medieval sources via
the Renaissance, right up to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
and contemporary occultism. Written by a distinguished team of
contributors, the essays consider key figures, beliefs and
practices as well as popular culture.
The spectre of the UFO, as popularised by shows such as The X-Files, has brought an astonishing slant to the face of modern religious practice. But what motivates the fantastical and sometimes sinister beliefs of UFO worshippers? UFO Religions critically examines some of the fascinating issues surrounding UFO worship - abduction narratives, UFO-based interpretations of other religions, the growth of pseudo-sciences purporting to explain UFOs, and the responses of the core scientific community to such claims. Focusing on contemporary global UFO groups including the Raelian Movement, Heaven's Gate, Unarius and the Ansaaru Allah Community, it gives a clear profile of modern UFO controversies and beliefs.
Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations,
Third Edition is the ideal textbook for those coming to the study
of religion for the first time, as well as for those who wish to
keep up-to-date with the latest perspectives in the field. This
third edition contains new and upgraded pedagogic features,
including chapter summaries, key terms and definitions, and
questions for reflection and discussion. The first part of the book
considers the history and modern practices of the main religious
traditions of the world, while the second analyzes trends from
secularization to the rise of new spiritualities. Comprehensive and
fully international in coverage, it is accessibly written by
practicing and specialist teachers.
The authors of religious scriptures have rarely had difficulty
enhancing sacred narratives with the rhetoric of violence. The
phenomenon continues in the easy cohabitation of violence and
religion in film, music and literature, and this raises a number of
important questions: To what degree does violent rhetoric shape
belief and values? How might we understand the social function of
violence in popular discourses? How might we understand audience
empathy with violent protagonists in popular narratives? What is
the significance of violence being associated with particular
religious groups or ideas in the media? Reflecting on these issues
in depth and with striking originality, scholars of religious
studies, biblical studies, film studies and sociology have analysed
a range of phenomena, from the discourse of terrorism to the
spectacle of World Wrestling Entertainment. The result is a vital
contribution to understanding an area of religious and cultural
discourse that is relevant to us all.
A leading textbook for world religion, this new edition is designed
to help students in their study and research of the world's
religious traditions. Known and valued for its balanced approach
and its respected board of consulting editors, this text addresses
ways to study religion, provides broad coverage of diverse
religions, and offers an arresting layout with rich illustrations.
The second edition has new and extended primary source readings, a
stronger section on the religions of South Asia, additional maps, a
new full-colour, student-friendly format, and more.
This volume presents students and scholars with a comprehensive
overview of the fascinating world of the occult. It explores the
history of Western occultism, from ancient and medieval sources via
the Renaissance, right up to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
and contemporary occultism. Written by a distinguished team of
contributors, the essays consider key figures, beliefs and
practices as well as popular culture.
Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations,
Third Edition is the ideal textbook for those coming to the study
of religion for the first time, as well as for those who wish to
keep up-to-date with the latest perspectives in the field. This
third edition contains new and upgraded pedagogic features,
including chapter summaries, key terms and definitions, and
questions for reflection and discussion. The first part of the book
considers the history and modern practices of the main religious
traditions of the world, while the second analyzes trends from
secularization to the rise of new spiritualities. Comprehensive and
fully international in coverage, it is accessibly written by
practicing and specialist teachers.
Dub reggae and the techniques associated with it have, since the
late-1980s, been used widely by producers of dance and ambient
music. However, the term was originally applied to a remixing
technique pioneered in Jamaica as far back as 1967. Recording
engineers produced reggae tracks on which the efforts of the
producer were often more evident than those of the musicians -
these heavily engineered tracks were termed 'versions'. The
techniques used to produce versions quickly evolved into what is
now known as 'dub'. The term, in this sense, arrived in 1972 and
was largely the result of experiments by the recording engineer
Osbourne Ruddock/King Tubby. Over the decades, not only has dub
evolved, but it has done so especially in the UK. Indeed, much
contemporary music, from hip hop to trance and from ambient
soundscapes to experimental electronica and drum 'n' bass is
indebted to the 'remix culture' principally informed by dub
techniques. However, while obviously an important genre, its
significance is rarely understood or acknowledged. Part One of the
book examines the Jamaican background, necessary for understanding
the cultural significance of dub, and Part Two analyses its
musical, cultural and political importance for both
African-Caribbean and, particularly, white communities in the
United Kingdom during the late-1970s and early 1980s. Particular
attention is given to the subcultures surrounding the genre,
especially its relationship with Rastafarian culture - the history
and central beliefs of which are related to reggae and examined.
There is also analysis of its cultural and musicological influence
on punk and post-punk, the principal political music in late-1970s
Britain. Finally, moving into the period of the decline of
post-punk and, indeed, British dub in the early 1980s, there will
be an examination of what can be understood as the postmodern turn
in dub. In summary, the book is a confluence of several lines of
thought. Firstly, it provides a cultural and musical history of dub
from its early days in Jamaica to the decline of post-punk in
early-1980s Britain. Secondly, it examines the religio-political
ideas it carried and traces these through to the ideologies
informing the subcultures of the late-1970s and, finally, to their
transformation and, arguably, neutralisation in the postmodern
pastiche of post-punk dub. Thirdly, with reference to these lines
of thought, it looks at dub's and roots reggae's contribution to
race relations in 1970s Britain. Finally, it analyses the aesthetic
and arguably 'spiritual' significance of dub, looking at, for
example, its foregrounding of bass and reverb.
This brief introduction to Buddhism is designed to help readers
understand this important religious tradition. With both nuance and
balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of
Buddhism with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers both
historical overviews and modern perspectives on Buddhist beliefs
and practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of
religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps, and a useful
glossary. It is ideal for courses on Buddhism and Asian religions
and will be a useful, concise reference for all readers eager to
know more about this important religious tradition and its place in
our contemporary world.
This brief introduction to Judaism is designed to help readers
understand this important religious tradition. With both nuance and
balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of
Judaism with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers both
historical overviews and modern perspectives on Jewish beliefs and
practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of
religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps, and a useful
glossary. It is ideal for courses on Judaism and will be a useful,
concise reference for all readers eager to know more about this
important religious tradition and its place in our contemporary
world.
This brief introduction to Hinduism is designed to help readers
understand this important religious tradition. With both nuance and
balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of
Hinduism with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers both
historical overviews and modern perspectives on Hindu beliefs and
practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of
religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps, and a useful
glossary. It is ideal for courses on Hinduism and South Asian
religions and will be a useful, concise reference for all readers
eager to know more about this important religious tradition and its
place in our contemporary world.
The evidence of death and dying has been removed from the everyday
lives of most Westerners. Yet we constantly live with the awareness
of our vulnerability as mortals. Drawing on a range of genres,
bands and artists, Mortality and Music examines the ways in which
popular music has responded to our awareness of the inevitability
of death and the anxiety it can evoke. Exploring bereavement,
depression, suicide, violence, gore, and fans' responses to the
deaths of musicians, it argues for the social and cultural
significance of popular music's treatment of mortality and the
apparent absurdity of existence.
The evidence of death and dying has been removed from the everyday
lives of most Westerners. Yet we constantly live with the awareness
of our vulnerability as mortals. Drawing on a range of genres,
bands and artists, Mortality and Music examines the ways in which
popular music has responded to our awareness of the inevitability
of death and the anxiety it can evoke. Exploring bereavement,
depression, suicide, violence, gore, and fans' responses to the
deaths of musicians, it argues for the social and cultural
significance of popular music's treatment of mortality and the
apparent absurdity of existence.
This brief introduction to Jainism and Sikhism is designed to help
readers understand these important religious traditions. With both
nuance and balance, this text provides broad coverage of various
forms of Jainism and Sikhism with an arresting layout with rich
colors. It offers both historical overviews and modern perspectives
on Jain and Sikh beliefs and practices. The user-friendly content
is enhanced by charts of religious festivals, historic timelines,
updated maps, and a useful glossary. It is ideal for courses on
Jainism, Sikhism, and South Asian religions and will be a useful,
concise reference for all readers eager to know more about these
important religious tradition and their place in our contemporary
world.
Popular music is no stranger to apocalyptic discourse. Whether
focusing on biblical or secular apocalypses, musicians often want
to tell us things about the end of the world we may not have wanted
to know in ways we may not have thought about before. This volume
seeks to introduce readers to some of these messengers and their
anthems of apocalypse. Roland Boer's discussion of Nick Cave
indicates that references to the portents and monsters of the
apocalypse have been used to refer, not to an age to come, but to
the authorities and demons of the present world. Likewise, Kennet
Granholm's chapter on the vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis
shows that biblical apocalyptic provides a lens through which to
examine environmental politics. This is also true of the work of
Rage against the Machine's Tom Morello, who, as Michael Gilmour
discusses, provides a powerful socialist critique of capitalism,
American imperialism, new left-activism and identity politics.
Along with these 'secular' uses of biblical apocalyptic are, of
course, the more conspicuously Christian theological treatments:
Mark Sweetnam discusses dispensationalism in Johnny Cash's music;
Marcus Moberg explores eschatological themes in Christian heavy
metal; and Steve Knowles looks at the uses of apocalyptic imagery
in the music of Extreme. Alongside these are the perennially
popular esoteric interpretations of biblical apocalyptic thought.
These are explored in Rupert Till's analysis of heavy metal and
Sergio Fava's discussion of apocalyptic folk.
The Re-Enchantment of the West challenges those theories that
predict widespread secularization beyond traditional institutional
religiosity. Spiritualities are emerging that are not only quite
different from the those forms of religion that are in decline, but
are often defined over against them and articulated and passed on
in ways quite different from those of traditional religion. In
particular, it is argued that such contemporary Western
spirituality is fed by a constantly replenished reservoir of ideas,
practices, and methodologies, which is here termed 'occulture'.
Moreover, such occultural ideas both feed into and are resourced by
popular culture. Indeed, popular occulture is a key feature of the
re-enchantment of the West. Demonstrating the significance and
ubiquity of these ideas, this book examines, for example,
healthcare and nursing, contemporary environmentalism, psychedelia
and drug use, the Internet and cyberspirituality, belief in UFOs
and extraterrestrial life, demonology and the contemporary
fascination with the figure of Satan, the heavy metal subculture,
popular apocalypticism, and millennial violence.
This volume provides a series of specific studies which further
unpack and illustrate the re-enchantment and occulture theses
developed in volume one. The Re-Enchantment of the West challenges
those theories that predict widespread secularization beyond
traditional institutional religiosity. Spiritualities are emerging
that are not only quite different from the those forms of religion
that are in decline, but are often defined over against them and
articulated and passed on in ways quite different from those of
traditional religion. In particular, it is argued that such
contemporary Western spirituality is fed by a constantly
replenished reservoir of ideas, practices, and methodologies, which
is here termed 'occulture'. Moreover, such occultural ideas both
feed into and are resourced by popular culture. Indeed, popular
occulture is a key feature of the re-enchantment of the West.
examines, for example, healthcare and nursing, contemporary
environmentalism, psychedelia and drug use, the Internet and
cyberspirituality, belief in UFOs and extraterrestrial life,
demonology and the contemporary fascination with the figure of
Satan, the heavy metal subculture, popular apocalypticism, and
millennial violence.
As a book about emergent spirituality in the contemporary West,
this books focuses on the nature, evolution and significance of new
forms of religion and alternative spiritualities. Part One of the
book provides the theoretical background and guides the reader
through some of the principal debates. After an overview of the
secularization thesis, which argues that the West is becoming
increasingly disenchanted, the second chapter turns to the
sociological analysis of new religions and alternative
spiritualities. Particular attention is given to the ideas of the
sociologist of religion Ernst Troeltsch, especially his enigmatic
analysis of the emergence mystical religion, which presciently
provides helpful insights into understanding the contemporary
alternative religious milieu. Against sociologists such as Bryan
Wilson and Steve Bruce, this and the subsequent chapter argues
that, rather than being insignificant, new forms of spirituality
are actually proving to be a significant part of Western
re-enchantment. Chapter 3 constructs a general theory of the
re-enchantment of the West.
This brief introduction to Islam is designed to help readers
understand this important religious tradition. With both nuance and
balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of
Islam with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers both
historical overviews and modern perspectives on Islamic beliefs and
practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of
religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps, and a useful
glossary. It is ideal for courses on Islam and will be a useful,
concise reference for all readers eager to know more about this
important religious tradition and its place in our contemporary
world.
Dub reggae and the techniques associated with it have, since the
late-1980s, been used widely by producers of dance and ambient
music. However, the term was originally applied to a remixing
technique pioneered in Jamaica as far back as 1967. Recording
engineers produced reggae tracks on which the efforts of the
producer were often more evident than those of the musicians -
these heavily engineered tracks were termed 'versions'. The
techniques used to produce versions quickly evolved into what is
now known as 'dub'. The term, in this sense, arrived in 1972 and
was largely the result of experiments by the recording engineer
Osbourne Ruddock/King Tubby. Over the decades, not only has dub
evolved, but it has done so especially in the UK. Indeed, much
contemporary music, from hip hop to trance and from ambient
soundscapes to experimental electronica and drum 'n' bass is
indebted to the 'remix culture' principally informed by dub
techniques. However, while obviously an important genre, its
significance is rarely understood or acknowledged. Part One of the
book examines the Jamaican background, necessary for understanding
the cultural significance of dub, and Part Two analyses its
musical, cultural and political importance for both
African-Caribbean and, particularly, white communities in the
United Kingdom during the late-1970s and early 1980s. Particular
attention is given to the subcultures surrounding the genre,
especially its relationship with Rastafarian culture - the history
and central beliefs of which are related to reggae and examined.
There is also analysis of its cultural and musicological influence
on punk and post-punk, the principal political music in late-1970s
Britain. Finally, moving into the period of the decline of
post-punk and, indeed, British dub in the early 1980s, there will
be an examination of what can be understood as the postmodern turn
in dub. In summary, the book is a confluence of several lines of
thought. Firstly, it provides a cultural and musical history of dub
from its early days in Jamaica to the decline of post-punk in
early-1980s Britain. Secondly, it examines the religio-political
ideas it carried and traces these through to the ideologies
informing the subcultures of the late-1970s and, finally, to their
transformation and, arguably, neutralisation in the postmodern
pastiche of post-punk dub. Thirdly, with reference to these lines
of thought, it looks at dub's and roots reggae's contribution to
race relations in 1970s Britain. Finally, it analyses the aesthetic
and arguably 'spiritual' significance of dub, looking at, for
example, its foregrounding of bass and reverb.
This brief introduction to Christianity is designed to help readers
understand this important religious tradition. With both nuance and
balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of
Christianity with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers
both historical overviews and modern perspectives on Christian
beliefs and practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by
charts of religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps,
and a useful glossary. It is ideal for courses on Christianity and
will be a useful, concise reference for all readers eager to know
more about this important religious tradition and its place in our
contemporary world.
The myth of Orpheus articulates what social theorists have known
since Plato: music matters. It is uniquely able to move us, to
guide the imagination, to evoke memories, and to create spaces
within which meaning is made. Popular music occupies a place of
particular social and cultural significance. Christopher Partridge
explores this significance, analyzing its complex relationships
with the values and norms, texts and discourses, rituals and
symbols, and codes and narratives of modern Western cultures. He
shows how popular musics power to move, to agitate, to control
listeners, to shape their identities, and to structure their
everyday lives is central to constructions of the sacred and the
profane. In particular, he argues that popular music can be
important edgework, challenging dominant constructions of the
sacred in modern societies. Drawing on a wide range of musicians
and musical genres, as well as a number of theoretical approaches
from critical musicology, cultural theory, sociology, theology, and
the study of religion, The Lyre of Orpheus reveals the significance
and the progressive potential of popular music.
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