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Religions
Special Issues
New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media
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New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 6298

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nasya Bahfen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Media and Communication, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia
Interests: digital media; social media; journalism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of religion and media has undergone transformations over the past decade, set against a backdrop of increased migration around the world, a rise in populist political movements, and the emergence of new forms of spiritual expression. These transformations in approaches to the study of religion and media have been marked by tensions between old and new content producers and distributors, and changes in the nature of the relationship between audiences and content.

The aim of this Special Issue of Religions is to present research that moves beyond or expands textual and content analyses, studies of representation, and audience-focused research.

In terms of scope, we welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews that incorporate a range of frameworks (including, but not limited to: cultural, media, educational, anthropological, and religious studies).

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Social media’s impact on religious expression or media coverage of faith and spiritual communities;
  • Media coverage of non-traditional religious or spiritual expression;
  • Religious expression or reportage during national or multinational events;
  • Digital media and minority religious populations;
  • The use of new media forms in religious settings and contexts.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nasya Bahfen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 233 KiB  
Article
‘When Have Dolce and Gabbana Ever Cared about the Hijab?’ Social Media, Fashion and Australian Muslim Women’s Perceptions and Expression of Hijab
by Zainab Arab
Religions 2022, 13(11), 1115; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111115 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
The scale of the representation of the Islamic head covering has increased exponentially over the last decade because of a range of factors, including growth in the modest fashion business sector and increased visibility of Muslim women in hijab in the public space. [...] Read more.
The scale of the representation of the Islamic head covering has increased exponentially over the last decade because of a range of factors, including growth in the modest fashion business sector and increased visibility of Muslim women in hijab in the public space. Social media has played a big role in changing perceptions of the Islamic head covering, via promotion and advertising. Meanwhile, the mainstream fashion industry has included options targeting the modest Muslim female market further, adding to changes in the representation and perception of the hijab. This research will examine the impact of social media and mainstream retail on Australian Muslim women’s perceptions and expressions of hijab. Using interviews and online surveys it explores the links between the fashion industry, social media, and changes in how Muslim women view the hijab. The majority of Australian Muslim women spoken to followed various hijabi bloggers or influencers although only a small proportion adopted recommendations from these hijabi bloggers or influencers (such as purchasing products, or incorporating suggestions on modest clothing or modest style trends). They believed migration, liberalism, social media marketing, and the inclusion of Muslim women in mainstream fashion has contributed to a form of commodification and commercialisation of the hijab. Furthermore, using hijab models as promotional tools to market the products, as well as the use of social media bloggers and influencers to represent them was perceived as tokenistic and disingenuous. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media)
20 pages, 348 KiB  
Article
Compulsory Heterosexuality in Indonesia: A Literary Exploration of the Work of Ayu Utami
by Santi Widianti
Religions 2022, 13(10), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13101002 - 21 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1434
Abstract
The fall of Suharto from the presidency in the Reformation of 1998 created space for greater freedom of expression, including for women, in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia. Ayu Utami is an Indonesian writer whose first novel, Saman, was published at [...] Read more.
The fall of Suharto from the presidency in the Reformation of 1998 created space for greater freedom of expression, including for women, in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia. Ayu Utami is an Indonesian writer whose first novel, Saman, was published at the time of the Indonesian Reformation to critical and commercial acclaim. Other women writers followed her lead, expressing their work on women and sexuality. Through her writing, Utami challenges a patriarchal culture which continues to marginalise women. This paper focuses on the two of Utami’s literary works, Si Parasit Lajang: Seks, Sketsa dan Cerita (The Single Parasite: Sex, Sketches and Stories) (2003) and Pengakuan Eks Parasit Lajang (Confessions of a Former Single Parasite) (2013). These two books have parallel themes, representing Utami’s challenges to dominant discourses on women and marriage. In the first book, Utami shows that women face discrimination if they remain single. Her political stance to remain unmarried is a way to show that women can choose alternative ways of life, rather than submit to the valorised option: to get married. Utami’s shift of position, as elaborated in the second book through the story of her autobiographical character A, who is a Catholic, has to do with a developing tendency of the Islamic conservatism in Indonesia to silence the expression of minority groups, including minority religious communities. This paper argues that to understand Utami’s shift in position on marriage, we must understand the ways in which her position as a member of a minority and, sometimes endangered, religious community shapes her position. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media)
15 pages, 307 KiB  
Article
Mediated Representation of Sharia in Aceh: A Hybrid Approach to Media Frames
by Febri Nurrahmi
Religions 2022, 13(9), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090857 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1432
Abstract
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with an exceptional degree of autonomy to implement Sharia. This paper explores how Serambi Indonesia—the leading Acehnese local newspaper—framed the implementation of Sharia in the region. This study employed content analysis of the Sharia coverage [...] Read more.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with an exceptional degree of autonomy to implement Sharia. This paper explores how Serambi Indonesia—the leading Acehnese local newspaper—framed the implementation of Sharia in the region. This study employed content analysis of the Sharia coverage in Aceh from 2012 to 2020 using a hybrid approach, combining issue-specific and generic frames. The results revealed the four identified frames: Sharia codification, deviance from Sharia, desirable Sharia enforcement, and Islamic morality. among those frames, the deviance from Sharia was much preferred. The frame prominence was more prevalent after Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Bylaw) took into effect in Aceh. It was also given more prominence on the front page than on other pages. However, other frames made up 60% of the articles, implying that the Acehnese local newspaper positively represented the implementation of Sharia in Aceh while highlighting Sharia problems surrounding its enforcement. These findings exemplify the use of a hybrid approach to better examine the media frames, support the effect of critical events on changes in the media frames, and confirm the different prominence of the frame based on the page placement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media)

Other

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9 pages, 536 KiB  
Concept Paper
Unpacking Films That Educate: Insta-Explorations of Religion and Society in South Asian and World Cinema
by Komal Fatima
Religions 2023, 14(10), 1317; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101317 - 20 Oct 2023
Viewed by 853
Abstract
With the increased availability of streaming services and access to international content a feature of today’s media consumption, can social media be used to explore the potential of global cinema to inform audiences about religion and society? As a media form, movies play [...] Read more.
With the increased availability of streaming services and access to international content a feature of today’s media consumption, can social media be used to explore the potential of global cinema to inform audiences about religion and society? As a media form, movies play a role in educating as well as entertaining society at large; narrative arcs from Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond inform audiences about contemporary religious concepts. This research makes use of a practice-based journalistic methodology to explore the educative role movies can play in informing audiences about religious and societal concepts; the researcher produces a creative artefact appropriate for the discipline of journalism (in this instance, a social-media-based curated collection of movie reviews), with a contribution to the wider knowledge that is contextualised by this study. Using a deductive approach, the researcher narrows down an initial list of films, from a global selection of cinematic output, that covers religious and societal themes through a range of lenses (such as characters’ well-being, trauma, religious practice, and cultural values). The concepts and ideologies explored through this study and the construction of a social-media-based movie database suggest that cinema can play an active role in informing audiences about religion and society, instead of merely entertaining across cultures. The concepts and ideologies explored in this paper, through the construction of a social-media-based movie database, show that religious and societal issues in movies can be an important aspect of the lives of millions in the cinema-going audience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media)
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