The Forbidden Body

Groundbreaking, disturbing, and riveting. Cowan recognizes that horror has a penchant for being at the same time scary and sexy, and that religion likewise has a unique ability to terrify in connection with restrictions on human sexuality. The intersections and even the simple comparability of these two human phenomena has not been explored by academics, much less explored adequately. Only Cowan could write this book, and write it so well. -- James McGrath, Butler University
Adds depth and texture to our understanding of horror’s relation to the body and religious imagination. This is a new area of inquiry in the world of religious studies and Cowan is at the forefront as a clear authority on the questions raised by horror, popular theology, and religious studies. -- Laura Ammon, Appalachian State University
Cowan has managed to write a philosophical take on what is clearly his favorite genre, inviting readers to figure out why and how they, religion and sex fit into these salacious, silly and scary stories. -- Chris LaCroix * Real Change News *
Cowan successfully illuminates representations of disfigured (sexualized) bodies in the horror mode while demonstrating how the religious imagination supports or enacts these representations. The book also offers a striking perspective on the different culturally internalized fears that shape our living together and influence our daily choices, preferences, fears, and attitudes…Thanks to the appealing and entertaining way of writing, the book also stimulates curiosity for exploring the abysses in the cosmos of sexuality, horror fiction, and religion. -- Katharina Luise Merkert * Reading Religion *
The Forbidden Body proceeds somewhat like a string of pearls, presenting a series of interesting insights as Cowan leads the reader through some of his favorite horror texts and what he finds sociologically significant about the way they deploy sex and raise questions about the unseen order… this is great reading for anyone hoping to produce their own scholarship on religion and popular culture. -- Joseph P. Laycock, Texas State University * Nova Religio *
Horror fans will find much to be excited about in this book––perhaps in more ways than one... This is great reading for anyone hoping to produce their own scholarship on religion and popular culture. * Nova Religio *
Cowan makes a powerful case for the central position of popular culture in the study of religion and also widens the scope of what the scholar can approach as ‘religion.’ * Religion *
This book is clearly original and partly strikingly convincing, arguing that more intellectual curiosity toward popular culture in general—particularly when infused by horror and sex—could help Religious Studies scholars reveal valuable insights about religious formation and imagination. * Religious Studies Review *