Recommended Reading

Here are some links to relevant articles if you are interested in reading more!

Media, mediation, religion Hirschkind 2011 Social Anthropology Wiley Online Library 

Charles Hirschkind examines the relationship between the media and religion in the wake of new and developing global technologies. He considers the media as a form of mediation between theology and the public consumer. In so doing, he considers the theory of Dutch philosopher Hent de Vries who proposes the "virtual interchangeability" of media and religious discourse.
 Reference:
Hirschkind, Charles.  "Media, mediation, religion". Social Anthropology 19.1, February 2011. pp 90-97. Online.

Taylor & Francis Online :: Religion, Media Credibility, and Support for Democracy in the Arab World - Journal of Media and Religion - Volume 9, Issue 2

An analysis of the results of a large-scale public opinion survey of Arab youth in Egypt and Saudi Arabia which considers the relationship between religiosity, media credibility and public opinion. Specifically, the article responds to US State Department efforts to appeal to the Arab media post September 11, 2011. The article is an interesting example of how governments use media to represent their policy aims to religious groups. This is religion and media in a dynamic tango of political policy.
Reference:
Golan, Guy J. and Spiro K. Kiousis. "Religion, Media Credibility, and Support for Democracy in the Arab World". Journal of Media and Religion 9.2, 2010. Online.

Destination Enlightenment

An analysis of the rise of "enlightenment tourism" or "religious tourism". An interesting case study which looks at the branding of religion as a tool for tourism and commercialisation. Is the notion of spiritual capital antithetical to the fundamental tenants of religiosity? Or is religious tourism a positive means of spreading the religious message?
Reference:
Geary, David. "Destination Enlightenment: Branding Buddhism and spiritual tourism in Bodhgaya, Bihar." Anthropology Today 24.3 (June 2008): 11 - 14. 

Branding Religion
This interesting paper addresses the growing phenomenon of 'mediatising' religion, where religion undergoes a technicalisation in line with the proliferation of online media.
Hepp, Andreas and Kronert, Veronika. "Media Cultures and Religious Change: 'Mediatisation' of Religion and 'Branding Religion'." Religion, Media and the Transformation of the Public Sphere: A Day Symposium. 9 Jan. 2008,  CRESC Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change, Camden, London. 

The Gods Must be Crazy: But the Producers Know Exactly What They are Doing
This article explores the representation of Indigenous culture in film, focussing particularly on The God's Must be Crazy. Lee offers an insight into solutions to cross-culture dialogue.
Lee, Richard. "The Gods must be Crazy". Review. June 1985.

Formalism and Marxism
A discussion on coeavalness and Marxist ideology, as implicated in literature and language. 
Bennett, Tony. 2003. Formalism and Marxism. London, Routledge.