Reconsidering religion and fandom: Christian fan works in "My little pony" fandom
Studies of religion and fandom have tended to explore the extent to which fan cultures might be seen as forms of surrogate religion. This article suggests that a more detailed examination of the way in which believers use their faith within their individual fandoms would offer more interesting insig...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2014]
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In: |
Culture and religion
Year: 2014, Volume: 15, Issue: 4, Pages: 399-418 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
My little pony, friendship is magic
/ Christianity
/ Fan
/ Religious practice
/ Evangelization
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RelBib Classification: | CA Christianity CB Christian life; spirituality CD Christianity and Culture RH Evangelization; Christian media |
Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Studies of religion and fandom have tended to explore the extent to which fan cultures might be seen as forms of surrogate religion. This article suggests that a more detailed examination of the way in which believers use their faith within their individual fandoms would offer more interesting insights into both contemporary religious practice and fandom. Conducting a case study of ‘Brony’ fandom (adult fandom of cartoon "My little pony: friendship is magic"), this article explores the ways in which Christian fans use fan fiction and art to promote religious literacy, explore theological issues and engage in evangelism and exegesis. Fan knowledge is used as a way to quickly impart and explore complex religious concepts in a manner which utilises the shared culture of fandom. This should not be seen as a symptom of 'mediatisation' but as part of a complex synthesis of faith and popular culture. |
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ISSN: | 1475-5610 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Culture and religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2014.984234 |