Call for Papers: Religious Emergence and The Sacred in Legends of Zelda

Volume Editor: Michael Barros This book will explore how religion and the sacred emerge from within the structure and narrative of The Legend of Zelda series, one of the most influential and enduring franchises in video game history. Zelda has greatly impacted multiple generations of players, and has an extremely loyal and dedicated fanbase. Rather than primarily comparing Zelda to existing…

Avengers: Infinity War, Losing an Election, and What Comes After

By Matthew Brake “I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.” Many of us recognize this quote from the peak of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After ten years of movies, and six years after his debut in a teaser at the end of the first…

Call for Papers: Theology, Philosophy, and Severance

Theology, Philosophy, and Severance Call for Papers Severance, created by Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, has captured the imagination of the streaming world. Season 1, developed and filmed during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the backbone of the Apple TV+ streaming service, was nominated for 14 Emmys at the 74th Annual Emmy Awards in 2022 (two…

Extended Call For Papers: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties

CFP: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties Edited by Ilaria W. Biano Although initially dismissed as “a holiday from history” (Will), a “frivolous if not decadent decade” (Rich), and a “time of trivial pursuits” (Halberstam) (cf. Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), the 1990s have increasingly been recognized as a pivotal historical moment. Scholars have underscored its…

Call For Papers: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties

CFP: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties Edited by Ilaria W. Biano Although initially dismissed as “a holiday from history” (Will), a “frivolous if not decadent decade” (Rich), and a “time of trivial pursuits” (Halberstam) (cf. Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), the 1990s have increasingly been recognized as a pivotal historical moment. Scholars have underscored its…

Islamic Arts and “Arabian Nights Mode”

By Fatima Hye As a Muslim in America, I always felt that there was a rift in our community. Either you were a practicing Muslim, and therefore had zero interest in the arts, or you engaged in the arts, but weren’t very practicing. In my view, this issue (that other faith-based communities sometimes face as well:…