Paranormal and Popular Culture : A Postmodern Religious Landscape

Interest in preternatural and supernatural themes has revitalized the Gothic tale, renewed explorations of psychic powers and given rise to a host of social and religious movements based upon claims of the fantastical. And yet, in spite of this widespread enthusiasm, the academic world has been slow to study this development. This volume rectifies this gap in current scholarship by serving as an interdisciplinary overview of the relationship of the paranormal to the artefacts of mass media (e.g. novels, comic books, and films) as well as the cultural practices they inspire.

After an introduction analyzing the paranormal’s relationship to religion and entertainment, the book presents essays exploring its spiritual significance in a postmodern society; its (post)modern representation in literature and film; and its embodiment in a number of contemporary cultural practices. Contributors from a number of discplines and cultural contexts address issues such as the shamanistic aspects of Batman and lesbianism in vampire mythology.

Covering many aspects of the paranormal and its effect on popular culture, this book is an important statement in the field. As such, it will be of utmost interest to scholars of religious studies as well as media, communication, and cultural studies.

Darryl Caterine is a professor of religious studies at Le Moyne College, USA. He is the author of Haunted Ground: Journeys through a Paranormal America (2011), and a number of articles and chapters on the paranormal, including essays in The Brill Handbook of Spiritualism and Channeling, Nova Religio: The Journal of Emergent and Alternative Religions, and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

John W. Morehead is an academic researcher and writer specializing in new religious movements as well as religion and popular culture. His writing includes a chapter on Matrixism for The Brill Handbook of Hyper-real Religions; entries on Paganism for The Handbook of Religion; and the co-editing and editing of volumes on religion and pop culture including The Undead and Theology, Joss Whedon and Religion, The Supernatural Cinema of Guillermo del Toro, and Fantastic Fan Cultures and the Sacred. He blogs at www.TheoFantastique.com.