Category: Religion in Culture

Posts in this category discuss how those aspects of culture known as religion can be studied in a way comparable to all other cultural practices.


Kicking Off Season 2 of ar·ti·facts

After a successful first season, our ar·ti·facts series is back for more! Each episode focuses on one professor discussing an item of interest in his or her office. Kicking off this year’s run is Prof. Rollens with her collection of pottery from a research dig in Israel. Enjoy, and stay tuned for more. ar·ti·facts: Picking up the Pieces with Prof. Sarah Rollens from UA Religious Studies. […]

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The Authentic Dream Cafe

By Jared Powell Jared Powell is a junior from Canton, Mississippi majoring in English and Religious Studies. A few months ago I wrote a post relating an episode of Seinfeld to issues of identity that are commonly discussed in our classes. After letting the initial fame and grandeur of my first post wear off, I decided that more connections could be made from the sitcom and the academic study of religion, particularly with regards to authenticity. […]

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Authenticity and the Nation-State, Or Why Thai Food is a Lot Like ISIS

  We love Thai food around here. But how do you know the food on your plate is actually Thai? What makes it Thai? The sign in the restaurant window? The “Thai tea?” What is “authentic Thai food?” Well, the government of Thailand is sick and tired of your sad excuses for Thai food and they have a plan to ensure you never settle for fake Thai food again. It’s not just a plan, it’s a robot. […]

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A Fine Place to Start

By Joe Kimbrough Joe Kimbrough graduated from the Department of Religious Studies in 2008. He went on to pursue graduate study in Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama, while maintaining his interests in the historical divisions between church and academy. You can read some of his other blog posts here. Recently, I sought a diversion after working some overtime, so I stopped at the local Barnes & Noble. Such a decision was popular that evening since the store […]

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Undead Zombie Tweets: Everything You Missed From Dr. Kelly Baker’s 2014 Day Lecture in Tweets and GIFs

Follow @StudyReligion // Last night REL hosted the second annual Zachary Daniel Day Memorial Lecture. Dr. Kelly J. Baker delivered an excellent presentation entitled, “”‘They’re coming to get you, Barbara!’: Zombie Apocalypses in American Religions.” If you missed the lecture or if you just want to revisit the details of the talk check out these tweets courtesy of our Twitter team. […]

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It Ain’t Sexy But….

We have Kelly Baker on campus, here to give the second annual Day Lecture. On the ride to Tuscaloosa form the Birmingham airport the other day, we got talking about the issue of contingent faculty in academia (a topic on which she has blogged) or, more specifically, about how the issue plays out in the academic study of religion. We talked about the American Academy of Religion’s current forays into the issue (e.g., a task force she is herself involved […]

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