Gods and Rollercoasters - Religion in Theme Parks Worldwide

This worldwide study examines how religion gets into theme parks - as mission, as an aspect of culture, as fable, and by chance. Gods and Rollercoasters analyses religion in theme parks, looking at how it relates to modernism, popular culture, right-wing politics, nationalism, and the rise of the global middle class. Crispin Paine argues that religion has discovered a major new means of expression through theme parks. From the reconstruction of Biblical Jerusalem at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, through the world of Chinese mythology at Haw Par Villa in Singapore, to the great temple/theme park Akshardham in New Delhi, this book shows how people are encountering and experiencing religion in the context of fun, thrills and leisure time. Drawing on examples from six of the seven continents, and exploring religious traditions including Christianity, Daoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, Gods and Rollercoasters provides a significant contribution to the study of religion, sociology, anthropology, and popular culture.>

About the author

Crispin Paine is a Visiting Fellow at the Open University, UK.

Product details

• Authors: Dominic Mattos, Crispin Paine, Crispin (UCL Paine, Paine Crispin
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2019
• EAN: 9781350046276
• ISBN: 978-1-350-04627-6
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology of Religion, RELIGION / Religion, Politics & State, Sociology: sport & leisure, Religion & politics, Sociology: sport and leisure, Religion and Politics, Humanist & Secular Alternatives To Religion, Humanist and secular alternatives to religion