Links
Department of Social Sciences.
A very helpful website for the study of religion can be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/religionmethods/index.html. It includes a variety of research issues and methods, including media research, sampling, ethics, comparative research and visual analysis.
Several research groups in the UK and abroad analyse the role of the media in discussing and experiencing religion. Here are links to these projects and to relevant journals. Please contact us if you’d like your link included.
Media Portrayals of Religion and the Secular Sacred
An AHRC/ESRC Religion and society project about the portrayal of religion in British newspapers and television.http://www.leeds.ac.uk//trs/irpl/research.htm
Migration and Visual Culture: A Theological Exploration of Identity Catholic Imagery and Popular culture among Polish Young.
An AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society study about the extent to which faith operates as a capital (both social and theological) supporting Polish Catholic young people, aged 17-30, as they migrate to the UK while at the same time faith itself (as it is lived in by young people) shifts and is made more fluid in relation to the mediated popular culture. http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/research/phase_2/small_research_grants
The Nordic Research Network on the Mediatization of Religion and Culture.
Extensive network of Scandinavian scholars working on media, religion and culture, with links to interesting publications
http://mrc-network.media.ku.dk/
http://www.media.uio.no/mrc/network
Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado, Boulder.
One of the leading research centres in the world, possible THE most important one. Many links to other relevant projects and organisations
http://www.colorado.edu/journalism/mcm/mrc/
Modern Mass Media, Religion and the Imagination of Communities
Now finished research project by Birgit Meyer and her team about the role of electronic mass media in the shift from the nation-state as the privileged space for the imagination of community to the articulation of alternative, religious imaginations. Many links and all publications online. http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/media-religion/
Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society
The Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society was formed in March 2008 to bring together researchers from across Birkbeck College who share interests in the social, cultural, political and legal significance of religion in the contemporary world. The Centre is an inter-disciplinary venture involving staff with expertise in sociology, political science, history, law, cultural studies, religious studies and psycho-social studies.
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/crcs/
The Center for Religion and Civic Culture
An academic research unit and a community partner for faith-based organizations. Conducts research on the civic role of religion, helps to build the capacity of faith-based organizations to address significant social issues, and communicates findings to scholars, legislators, community leaders, media, and funders.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/religion_online/
New York University's Center for Religion and Media
The Center for Religion and Media is one of 10 "Centers of Excellence" funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts to bring nuance to the discussion of the role of religion in the public square. The mandate of its journal, The Revealer, is to pursue this goal by offering a daily critique of religion in the press -- the best, the worst, the most overlooked, and the most over reported. Drawing on the expertise of working journalists and scholars from across the disciplines, the Center offers an accessible selection of the day's most interesting stories. It also publishes original stories, along with interviews with scholars and journalists (and religious figures), analysis of religious content within photojournalism, and moderated forum discussions.
http://www.therevealer.org/
The International Study Commission on Media, Religion & Culture
The International Study Commission on Media, Religion, and Culture is a group of scholars and practitioners who have gathered to consider the shape and direction of both productive and reflective work in these three intersecting fields. It is part of the wider ongoing process of reflection and study which is being conducted currently by various organizations and individuals throughout the world. It is intended to facilitate continuing dialog and to stimulate and support both scholarship and media production in the area.
http://www.iscmrc.org/
Journals
Heidelberg Journal of Religions
Journal of Religious Culture
Journal of Religion and Film
Journal of Religion and Popular Culture
