Religions are more than beliefs or sacred texts. They are also formed through buildings, bodies, objects of devotion, images, websites. We examine how religion is embodied, circulated, built, played, displayed, and painted. We ask why religions are often constituted through feasting or fasting, excess or asceticism, abundance of objects or destruction of icons. Religious activity is explored through its connections with objects of wealth and consumption--not just great art, but items common within popular culture. The overall aim is to ‘see’ religion in a new way—and to understand the role of the senses in the formation of religious experience.
Religions are more than beliefs or sacred texts. They are also formed through buildings, bodies, objects of devotion, images, websites. We examine how religion is embodied, circulated, built, played, displayed, and painted. We ask why religions are often constituted through feasting or fasting, excess or asceticism, abundance of objects or destruction of icons. Religious activity is explored through its connections with objects of wealth and consumption--not just great art, but items common within popular culture. The overall aim is to ‘see’ religion in a new way—and to understand the role of the senses in the formation of religious experience.
