A key text which has helped me formulate the links within my essay is Jesus in Disneyland by sociologist David Lyon.
Within his book he describes the cultural and social situation that religion has found itself in within this century. Because of brands such as Disney which dominate the media world, religion has found new ways to harmonize within these cultures.
Useful Quotes
“Conventional religion…is caught at a curious cultural juncture” (P 26)
“Disneyland is a social and cultural symbol of our times” (P 26)
“Disneyland also points up the ambiguities and ironies of modernity and postmodernity, as well as their sources, the proliferation of new communications media, and the growth of consumerism.” (P 26)
“Disneyland as a cultural symbol also hints strongly at questions of authority and identity, and of time and space, each of which is crucial for a contemporary understanding of religion, spirituality and faith” (P 26-27)
“By the end of the twentieth century Disney had become a byword for commercial culture, a symbol for animated cartoon lives, a model for tourist activities, and a mode of imagination.” (P 27)
“It was also a way of communicated, a herald of technological futures, an architectural inspiration, and a guide to city planning” (P 27)
“Under these conditions, it would be surprising if Disney did not have a religious relevance” (P 27-28).
“Disney Parks “encourage the consumer to relate to America as a spectacle rather than as an object of citizenship” (P 29)
“Disneyfication makes social conflict temporary and abnormal, emphasises individual rather than collective action and generally acts as a mouthpiece for the American Way” (P 29)
“Disneyfication subtly organises our lives, even while letting us think that we are in a realm of release and escape” (P 29) (Link)
“Consumers want to be thrilled not only by the guarantee of the good but also by the shudder of the bad” (P 29-30)
“May be viewed as a process that diminishes human life through trivialising it” (P 30)
Alan Bryman: “the process by which /the principles/ of the Disney theme parks are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as welll as the rest of the world.” (P 30)
_Theming_ “Theming creates connections and thereby gives a particular ambience to a complete environment” (P 31)
“may be seen as postmodern surrogates for narratives (even meta-narratives) which, however fragmentary or temporary, tell tales within which lives may be located” (P 31)
Alan Bryman: “Forms of consumption associated with different institutional spheres become interlocked with each other and increasingly difficult to distinguish” (P 31)
“Dedifferentiation accentuates the consumer culture, in which consumption becomes an order of life” (P 32)
“Disneyization involves emotional labour.” (P 33)
“Disney employees are supposed to give the impression that they are having fun too and not really working” (P 33)
“In several significant respects, religion is being both Disneyfied and Disneyized.” (P 34-35)
Jean Baudrillard: “It is Disneyland that is authentic here! The cinema and TV are America’s reality…not the galleries, the churches, the culture.” (P 16)
Supporting evidence:
Another text which backs up these ideas is Mara Einstein's Brands of Faith:
“Religious organizations have taken on names, logos or personalities, and slogans that allow them to be heard in a cluttered, increasingly competitive marketplace.” (Preface xi)
“These institutions are competing not only among themselves, but also with the popular culture.” (Preface xi)
“Churches advertise on billboards and in print media. Books sell us all types of religious and spiritual wisdom. Television has become overrun with religious content with no fewer than eight channels presenting sermons and faith-based programming 24 hours a day, not to mention religious content in broadcast prime time and as regular content for nightly news magazines.” (P 04)
Passion of the Christ:
“The Passion started with a defined target audience, created secondary targets through promotion and publicity, and perpetuated the product’s relevance through creating ancillary businesses. (P 04)
Analysis:
These texts have given me a rich insight to the methods in which religion is competing with other brands and also becoming a brand itself, and reinforced the argument that has been put forth in my writing. Possible case studies such as Disneyland and Passion of the Christ have also become a good option to back up ideologies in my essay which these texts have given me insights into.
EINSTEIN, M (2008). Brands Of Faith. Oxfordshire, Routledge
LYON, D. (2000) Jesus in Disneyland: Religion in Postmodern times. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press in association with Blackwell Publishers.
Lyon, D. (2000) Jesus in Disneyland: Religion in Postmodern times. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press in association with Blackwell Publishers.
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