Fantastic religion : fandom as religious practice
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[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SYSTEM AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This project seeks to understand both the theoretical and tangible implications of fandom as a meaningful category within the field of Religious Studies and to illuminate a theoretical framework based in functionalist definitions of religion as a tool for fan studies analysis. Religion encompasses the processes by which individuals orient themselves in the world and produce meaning which is employed in the navigation of social systems. By focusing specifically on fandom as a religious practice I am taking seriously the function of fandom and fan communities as they orient individuals in the world, and extending the categorical privilege enjoyed by the label of "religion". In applying religion as an analytical frame, this project argues that fandom orients and produces meaning for its practitioners in such a way that these practices become set apart. This analysis of fandom takes place specifically within three distinct, though often overlapping sets of practices; the online construction of fan-fiction, attending comic conventions, and cosplay practice.
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