Drawing on Tradition von Jolyon Baraka Thomas

Manga and Anime exert tremendous influence on contemporary Japanese culture and are increasingly consumed abroad. This book examines these two related genres of popular culture from the perspective of religion, utilizing historical and ethnographic methods. The author approaches his subject in three ways 1) as vehicles for religious imagery, 2) as texts that can inspire new religious practices, and 3) as stimuli for novel religious movements. He argues not only that content found in manga and anime can be characterized as religious but also that some practices of rendition and reception of these popular cultural forms can be similarly described.

Jolyon Baraka Thomas is assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania.