Mediating Catholicism

This is a really exhilarating collection that demonstrates not only the complex relationship between Catholicism and Media, but also the extent to which Catholicism is a religion of Media. It brings together top rate scholarship covering regional and national Catholicisms, as well as a range of different media: print, radio, television, and social media. It also extends the notion of media to explore themes such as the word ‘love’ as a form of Catholic medium, and ritual as media. It is ground-breaking and fascinating. A major contribution to contemporary religious scholarship. * Jon P. Mitchell, Professor of Anthropology, University of Sussex, UK *
This book, which comes at a very exciting time when faith communities are at various levels of discovering, exploring, and maximizing the media at their disposal, would be a great addition to any library as an indispensable resource when it comes to the field of religion and society, especially under the aspect of communication. It certainly helps that the book is written in a way that is accessible and engaging not only for scholars and academics but also for communicators and pastors for whom they would surely be of much interest and help. * Religion and Social Communication *
The editors are equipped to develop an approach to media that overcomes the limitations of the implicitly positivistic approach that informs most of the work on how media transform religious practice or how religions have shaped various media fields. * Exchange: Journal of Contemporary Christianities in Context *
The volume...reaches beyond scholarship on Catholicism, reflecting the authors’ goal of inspiring others to develop “theories of mediation and mediatization as they relate to religion” at large.... The book is thus required reading for any scholar of social media, new forms of religious identities, secularization, and media-based faith socialities. * American Ethnologist *