Mediatization of Religion

Unavoidably and without historical exceptions religious practices occur in the medial level. Studies which have investigated the relation between religion and media have therefore not alone looked at the function and meaning of so-called digital media. Digital media in recent years has had and is having a not to be underestimated influence on religious practices. However, to be able to describe these transformations and also to question their innovation, scholars of religious studies must concern themselves with the media and mediality that preceded the digital age and are the contingent basis of any communication process.

Important links can be drawn to material religion, because materialities often (but not always) take on a medial function. Furthermore, material religion has shown that the function of media goes far beyond transmitting and storing information and messages. The material religions approach emphasises the emotional and affective dimension of media and thus decisively extends the term mediality for research into religion with a cultural studies approach.