Sacred Force of Star Wars Jedi

"As secularization threatens the stability of traditional religions, Star Wars provides a case study of how key functions of religion may transfer to innovative organizations and subcultures that challenge conventional definitions of faith, sacredness, and revival. This Element therefore examines the vast community of fans, especially gamers, who have turned Star Wars into a parareligion, providing them with a sense of the meaning of life and offering psychological compensators for human problems. The research methods include ethnography, participant observation, census of roles played by gaming participants, and recommender system statistics. The Element also shows the genetic connections between Star Wars and its predecessors in science fiction. Investigating the Star Wars fandom phenomenon - which involves hundreds of thousands of people - illustrates how audience cults and client cults evolve. Ultimately, Star Wars remains culturally and economically significant as we approach completion of its first half-century"--

List of contents

Introduction to Star Wars; 1. Reconceptualizing religion; 2. Older testaments; 3. Online social groups; 4. A vast diversity of scriptures; 5. Virtual worlds; 6. Two denominations; 7. That galaxy far, far away; 8. The secular trend.

Product details

• Authors: William Sims Bainbridge, Bainbridge William Sims
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.11.2024
• EAN: 9781009512213
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0951221-3
• No. of pages: 82
• Series: Elements in New Religious Movements
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), RELIGION / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology of Religion, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Entertainment, Information technology industries, Alternative belief systems, Religious groups: social & cultural aspects, Social groups: religious groups and communities, Fiction: special features: game-related, Computer and video game industry, FICTION / LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game)