Table of Contents
The Media, Culture, and Religion Perspective
1. Introduction
A. Effects studies—background . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
B. Trying to find the “definitive” proof
of effects of religious broadcasts . . . . . . . . . . 4
C. The shift from a media effects paradigm . . . . 4
D. The movements of “education for critical
use of the media” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. The cultural studies approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3. The beginnings of the Media, Religion,
and Culture approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
A. Early history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
B. Formulating a media, religion, and culture
research agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
C. The formation of the media, religion, and
culture network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4. Themes and theses of the media, religion,
and culture perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A. The interaction of producers and religious
culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
B. Bringing theology back in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
C. Narrative fiction as a space for creating
culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
D. Religion and material culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
E. The role of popular culture in religious
education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
F. The role of culture in the formation of
religious institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
G. Religious seeking and the new Internet
media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
H. Family processes of constructing meaning
in a media-saturated family context . . . . . . . 14
5. The International Study Commission . . . . . . . . . 16
6. Is the research of the media, religion, and
culture perspective addressing the real issues? . . 19
Editor’s Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Recommended Citation
White, Robert A. S.J.
(2007)
"The Media, Culture, and Religion Perspective,"
Communication Research Trends: Vol. 26:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/crt/vol26/iss1/1