The Digital Social

Religion and Belief

Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, Alan Nixon, Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, Alan Nixon

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN:
  9783110497892
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The edited volume aims to present a critical analysis of the current state of research on religion and belief systems in the realm of the 'Digital Social'. The rapid expansion and democratization of digital technologies in conjunction with the significant shifts taking place within the practices of religion and belief through digital technology demand a critical examination across the social sciences and humanities. These changes call for an overview of not only our current methodological tool box but also the epistemological and ethical considerations that researchers must contend with. The proposed volume provides a critical framework that recognizes that the social, and therefore the religious, cannot be fully understood without recognizing how the digital world actively constitutes notions such as identity, social networks, embodiment, and social institutions. While some specific methods will be discussed, the volume's emphasis remains on the critical epistemological and logistical considerations that are needed when undertaking this form of research.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction and Overview
• Part 1: Digital Methodologies of Religion, Belief and Myth
• A Virtual Trinity
• Studying Religion and YouTube
• Studying Muslim Identity Online in Post-9/11 America: Results and Implications for Accessing Stigmatized Minority Groups
• Part 2: Digital Worldviews
• “Crap, we needed a god . . . ”: Religion, Videogames, and the Digital Social
• Emotion, Ritual and Rules of Feeling in the Study of Digital Religion
• Shari’a in Cyberspace: An analysis of Australian and US Internet Sites
• Part 3: Digital Public Spheres
• Public Atheism and ‘Islamophobia’ on Twitter
• The Study of Post-Secularization through the Digital Social
• ‘No life’ Eschatology: The Incorporation and Avatarisation of Digital Eremitism
• Index