All posts by A. David

academic

CFP: Religion and the Marvel Universe (9/15/18)

Editor: Gregory Stevenson (gstevenson@rc.edu)

Theology and Pop Culture is currently seeking contributions for a potential edited volume from Rowman and Littlefield on the intersection of theology and the Marvel Universe. Essays may focus on comic books/graphic novels, film, and television/streaming series. Essays should be written for academics, but avoid “jargon” to be accessible for the layperson.

MARVEL logo

Potential ideas include but are not limited to:

Greek mythology and the Marvel superhero; Catholicism and the character of Daredevil; Ms. Marvel and the rise of the Muslim superhero; Ghost Rider and the deal with the devil; Spider-Man and moral theology; Luke Cage and liberation theology; Black Panther and African theology; Iron Fist and the conflict between capitalism and spiritualism; violence and redemption in The Punisher; religious tolerance and intolerance in The X-Men; the depiction of cults in Marvel’s Runaways; Dr. Strange and the conflict between faith and science; christology in Marvel; Iron Man and Tony Stark’s quest for redemption; Marvel’s cosmic beings; Thor and Norse theology; Captain America and the role of faith; apocalyptic themes in Marvel stories; Cloak and Dagger and the metaphor of light and darkness (this list could go on indefinitely so feel free to propose any relevant topic)

Submission Guidelines:

  1. Please submit an abstract between 300-700 words with CV or resumé, including a list of any previous publications, to Gregory Stevenson at gstevenson@rc.edu by September 15, 2018
  2. Submission deadline for drafts of accepted papers is April 30, 2019 (if a particular essay needs to incorporate the fourth Avengers film, a later submission date can be negotiated)
controversy, events

Return of Islamophobic Cartoon Contest

Here we go again…

“The Prophet Muhammad is pictured in this Islamic manuscript dated 1539–43. It comes from a royal miniature made to illustrate a copy of the poems of the celebrated Persian Nizami, and depicts the prophet’s ascension to heaven on the horse Buraq.” (Copyright © The British Library Board; courtesy of WBUR)

From Reuters:

The Freedom Party of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders will hold a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, it said on Tuesday. The party said the plan to hold the competition in the party’s secure offices in Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV.

If this sounds familiar, it should. There was a “Draw Mohammed” Contest in Garland, TX in 2015, won by Bosch Fawstin who will serve as a judge for this new event. Wilders served as a keynote speaker at that 2015 contest, and two gunmen, claimed by ISIS, were killed on site.

This competition is being billed as a “free speech event,” not  unlike the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten‘s own 2005 showcase of Mohammed cartoons, similarly resulting in violence.

On a related note, Twitter recently suspended Fawstin’s account following his posting opposing on Marvel Entertainment’s plans for Muslim superheroine Ms. Marvel. This was the latest in his “multiple or repeat violations of the Twitter Rules.”

Bosch Fawstin's tweet

Islamic culture has a history of respectful images of Mohammed, though that does not in any way seem the goal of Fawstin and Wilders’s insulting affair.

academic, controversy, from the Internet

UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S.

Illinois vs. MichiganLast October, Sacred and Sequential reported that the the largest collection of Indian comics in the U.S. resides at the University of Illinois under the care of curator Mara Thacker. In December, however, we received the following e-mail from Professor Siddharth Chandra, excerpted below:

Subject: Largest collection of Indian comics in a US library
Message Body:
Dear Mr. David,

A small correction to your article titled “THE U.S.’S LARGEST INDIAN COMICS COLLECTION IN IS IN ILLINOIS.” ‘Illinois’ should read ‘Michigan.’ For more information, please see https://magic.msu.edu/search~S39?/dIndian+comic+books%2C+strips%2C+etc./dindian+comic+books+strips+etc/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dindian+comic+books+strips+etc&1%2C1763%2C .

This link leads to a partial listing of Indian comics in Michigan State University’s comic arts collection. There are hundreds of additional volumes in the process of being cataloged.

Kind regards,
Siddharth Chandra

After following the link and reading its contents, I caught the gist of his message and responded:

Actually, you’re saying that the premise of the article is incorrect — that the largest one ISN’T in Illinois, as stated by the article, but at MSU?

And his reply was polite and clear (as were his bona fides):

Yes, I believe so.

Siddharth Chandra
Director, Asian Studies Center
Professor of Economics, James Madison College and
Professor (by courtesy), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Michigan State University

Continue reading UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S. →

articles and essays

Superman as Jewish Assimilation, not Exodus

The talented Noah Berlatsky recently wrote a piece for The Forward where he challenges many of the semi-religious attributes assigned to Superman — in particular, the closeness of the hero’s link to Judaism.

The truth is that Siegel and Shuster, like many Jewish Americans in the 1930s, had little investment in Jewish religion or in Jewish history. Brad Ricca wrote in “Superboys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster” that Siegel and Shuster were both disinterested in the Jewish religion and culture of their “old world parents.”

This reading of Superman aligns much more closely with scholarship produced just two years ago by Martin Lund, entitled Re-Constructing the Man of Steel, than it does the work of The Forward‘s own Larry Tye or that of Harry Brod’s 2012 book Is Superman Jewish?

In many ways, Bertlatsky’s article counters another recent piece by The Forward, that of Marcy Oster’s “Making Superman Jewish Again” in February. This increasing intensity and variety of takes on the Man of Steel strongly suggest that his religious symbolism, particularly with a Jewish lens, remains a hot site of debate.

 

 

cultural

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know on Black Panther and Religion

1 Comment

Black Panther rules the box office worldwide and is a cultural phenomenon. As such, it’s being viewed from every possible angle and through every available lens. And, to paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the thinkpiecers were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

So, without comment, here is a short sampling of the various ways Black Panther, with its roots in comics, is being applied to the subject of religion, of religious intolerance, censorship, and interfaith relations. Your mileage may vary.

We’ve loosely grouped them below as “Black Panther and…”

…Religion in General

What The Movie ‘Black Panther’ Teaches Us About Religion

‘Where Is Your God Now?’ 3 Religious Objects of Worship in ‘Black Panther’

http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/23/black-panther-is-a-quasi-religious-atonement-for-white-guilt/

…Judaism

Black Panther Is a Jewish Creation

Why ‘Black Panther’ might also be a milestone in black-Jewish relations

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/256186/black-panther-is-a-great-zionist-movie

The Defeat of Killmonger in ‘Black Panther’ Holds Lessons for Israel

…Spirituality

Black Panther’s Spirituality Pulls from Reality

Spiritual Reflections on the Black Panther Movie

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/17/is-the-hero-in-black-panther-secretly-spiritual/

African cosmologies: spiritual reflections on the ‘Black Panther’ movie

…Hinduism

http://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/black-panther-cbfc-muted-hanuman-reference-due-to-not-hurt-any-kind-of-religious-sentiments/1225555

CBFC Offended by ‘Hanuman’ in Black Panther Is Divine Stupidity

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/black-panther-fans-in-india-angry-over-beeping-out-hanuman-reference-twitter-reactions-5073987/

…Islam

Is the Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic? A Somali Canadian Perspective

Black Panther Shows Muslims Too Can Escape Tokenism

Black Panther Makes A Nod To The Boko Haram Kidnapping in Nigeria

…Christianity

What “Black Panther” Means for Christians

Four Lessons the Church Can Learns from Black Panther

Clergy’s View on Black Panther

http://www.jesusdaily.com/inspire/black-panther-movie-review-christian-perspective/

‘Black Panther’ and the Longing for Home

At Home in Wakanda

Do it For the Diaspora?: The Moral Question Behind Black Panther

https://crtvchurch.com/why-christians-need-to-see-marvels-black-panther/

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/23/black-panther-star-boldly-proclaims-i-fell-in-love-with-jesus/

Christian actress Sope Aluko says ‘Black Panther’ set felt ‘almost like church’

In several of these cases, the charge could be levied that groups ostensibly unrelated to Black Panther are ‘making it all about them,’ but, in others, there are some legitimate linkages to be made. It says something, though, when so many religious communities want to comment on or be reflected by a cinema blockbuster — almost as if it means more than superhero popcorn entertainment…