Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema

Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema
Author: Kris H.K Chong
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2020-05-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000095924

This book provides a framework by which a global audience might think theologically about contemporary films produced in mainland China by Chinese directors. Up to this point the academic discipline of Christian theology and film has focussed predominantly on Western cinema, and as a result, has missed out the potential insights offered by Chinese spirituality on film. Mainland Chinese films, produced within the nation’s social structure, offer an excellent lingua franca of China. Illuminating the spiritual imagination of Chinese filmmakers and their yearning for transcendence, the book uses Richard A. Blake’s concept of afterimage to analyse the potential theological implications of their films. It then brings Jürgen Moltmann’s "immanent-transcendence" and Robert K. Johnston’s "God’s wider Presence" into conversation with Confucianist and Daoist ideas of there being, spirituality-speaking, "More in Life than Meets the Eye" than simply material existence. This all combines to move beyond film and allow for a Western audience to gain a new perspective on Chinese culture and traditions. One that uses familiar Western terms, while avoiding the imposition of a Western mindset. This is a new perspective on cinema, religion and Chinese culture that will be of keen interest to scholars of Religion and Film, Religious Studies, Theology, Sociology of Religion and Chinese Studies.

Transcendence and Spirituality in Japanese Cinema

Transcendence and Spirituality in Japanese Cinema
Author: Melissa Croteau
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2022-11-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000755916

This book explores significant representations of Shinto and Buddhist sacred space, spiritual symbols, and religious concepts that are embedded in the secular framework of Japanese films aimed at general audiences in Japan and globally. These cinematic masterpieces by directors Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Makoto Shinkai operate as expressions of and, potentially, catalysts for transcendence of various kinds, particularly during the Heisei era (1989–2019), when Japan experienced severe economic hardship and devastating natural disasters. The book’s approach to aesthetics and religion employs the multifaceted concepts of ma (structuring intervals, liminal space-time), kū (emptiness, sky), mono no aware (compassionate sensibility, resigned sadness), and musubi (generative interconnection), examining the dynamic, evolving nature of these ancient principles that are at once spiritual, aesthetic, and philosophical. Scholars and enthusiasts of Japanese cinema (live action and anime), religion and film, cinematic aesthetics, and the relationship between East Asian religions and the arts will find fresh perspectives on these in this book, which moves beyond conventional notions of transcendental style and essentialized approaches to the multivalent richness of Japanese aesthetics.

Film and Redemption

Film and Redemption
Author: David Rankin
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2022-07-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000613283

This book explores the representation of the idea or theme of redemption in contemporary, popular film. The discussion focuses primarily on the work of three directors – Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Kore-eda Hirokazu – but also considers a few films from other directorial hands. David Rankin divides the notion of personal redemption into transactional and transformational aspects, differentiating between redemption, understood as that which is external to the person but impacting on their being and environment, and that which is internal to the person. Redemption is viewed broadly as a journey from brokenness to wholeness, from imprisonment to release, or from some form of slavery to freedom. Both secular and religious (especially Christian) understandings of the notion are discussed, and consideration is given to how the former might inform the latter.

Ford's The Modern Theologians

Ford's The Modern Theologians
Author: Rachel E. Muers
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 726
Release: 2024-05-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1119746744

Captures the multiple voices of Christian theology in a diverse and interconnected world through in-depth studies of representative figures and overviews of key movements Providing an unparalleled overview of the subject, The Modern Theologians provides an indispensable guide to the diverse approaches and perspectives within Christian theology from the early twentieth century to the present. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and explores the development and trajectory of modern theology while presenting critical accounts of a broad range of relevant topics and representative thinkers. The fourth edition of The Modern Theologians is fully updated to provide readers with a clear picture of the broad spectrum and core concerns of modern Christian theology worldwide. It offers new perspectives on key twentieth-century figures and movements from different geographical and ecclesial contexts. There are expanded sections on theological dialogue with non-Christian traditions, and on Christian theology's engagement with the arts and sciences. A new section explores theological responses to urgent global challenges - such as nationalism, racism, and the environmental crisis. Providing the next generation of theologians with the tools needed to take theological conversations forward, The Modern Theologians: Explores Christian theology's engagement with multiple ways of knowing across diverse approaches and traditions Combines introductions to key modern theologians and coverage of the major movements within contemporary theology Identifies common dynamics found across theologies to enable cross-contextual comparisons Positions individual theologians in geographical regions, trans-local movements, and ecclesial contexts Features new and revised chapters written by experts in particular movements, topics, and individuals Providing in-depth critical evaluation and extensive references to further readings and research, Ford's The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918, Fourth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Theology and Religious Studies, such as Introduction to Christian Theology, Systematic Theology, Modern Theology, and Modern Theologians. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers, those involved in various forms of Christian ministry, teachers of religious studies, and general readers engaged in independent study.

China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces

China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces
Author: Vanessa Frangville
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2019-09-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0429509030

Presenting the collaborative work of 13 international specialists of contemporary Chinese culture and society, this book explores the spaces of creation, production, and diffusion of "youth cultures" in China among generations born since the 1980s. Defining the concept of "youth culture" as practices and activities that catalyze self-expression and creativity, this book investigates the emergence of new physical spaces, including large avenues, parks, shopping malls, and recreation areas. Building on this, it also examines the influence of non-physical places, especially digital cultures, such as online social networks, shopping platforms, Cosplay, cyberliterature, and digital calligraphy and argues that these may in fact play a more significant role in Chinese civil society today. As an exploration of how youth can be creative even in a coercive environment, China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces will be valuable to students and scholars of Chinese society, as well those working on the links between space, youth, and culture.

Transnational Transcendence

Transnational Transcendence
Author: Thomas J. Csordas
Publisher: University of California Press
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2009-03-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520257421

This innovative collection examines the transnational movements, effects, and transformations of religion in the contemporary world, offering a fresh perspective on the interrelation between globalization and religion. Transnational Transcendence challenges some widely accepted ideas about this relationship—in particular, that globalization can be understood solely as an economic phenomenon and that its religious manifestations are secondary. The book points out that religion's role remains understudied and undertheorized as an element in debates about globalization, and it raises questions about how and why certain forms of religious practice and intersubjectivity succeed as they cross national and cultural boundaries. Framed by Thomas J. Csordas's introduction, this timely volume both urges further development of a theory of religion and globalization and constitutes an important step toward that theory.

Religion and Film: The Basics

Religion and Film: The Basics
Author: Jeanette Reedy Solano
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2021-12-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0429639708

Religion and Film: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the history, diverse approaches, and ideas associated within the study of religion and film. Referencing films from around the world from the early 20th century to the present day, this unique introduction includes the following topics: the history and dynamics of religion and film various methods to approach religion and film the evolution of religion and film scholarship film genre and theory world religions and film unique themes—from race and gender roles to karma and redemption A fascinating range of films are discussed, from early silent films such as Hypocrites to recent releases such as Minari. Five genres are explored, including horror in The Wicker Man (UK) and Let the Right One In (Sweden), and world religions are analyzed in films such as OMG, The Big Lebowski, and Malcolm X. Tropes examined include gender in Water, karma in It’s a Wonderful Life, death in Biutiful, redemption in Magnolia, and evil in Get Out. With helpful features including recommendations for further study and key films to view, this book is an ideal starting point for students approaching religion and film for the first time as well as those interested in learning more about the field while broadening their methods, knowledge of film, and their film canon.

The Subject of Film and Race

The Subject of Film and Race
Author: Gerald Sim
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-07-31
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 162356753X

The Subject of Film and Race is the first comprehensive intervention into how film critics and scholars have sought to understand cinema's relationship to racial ideology. In attempting to do more than merely identify harmful stereotypes, research on 'films and race' appropriates ideas from post-structuralist theory. But on those platforms, the field takes intellectual and political positions that place its anti-racist efforts at an impasse. While presenting theoretical ideas in an accessible way, Gerald Sim's historical materialist approach uniquely triangulates well-known work by Edward Said with the Neo-Marxian writing about film by Theodor Adorno and Fredric Jameson. The Subject of Film and Race takes on topics such as identity politics, multiculturalism, multiracial discourse, and cyborg theory, to force film and media studies into rethinking their approach, specifically towards humanism and critical subjectivity. The book illustrates theoretical discussions with a diverse set of familiar films by John Ford, Michael Mann, Todd Solondz, Quentin Tarantino, Keanu Reeves, and others, to show that we must always be aware of capitalist history when thinking about race, ethnicity, and films.

The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables

The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables
Author: Joel Mayward
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2022-09-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000686833

The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables examines the work of Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who have been celebrated for their powerfully affecting social realist films. Though the Dardenne brothers’ films rarely mention religion or God, they have received wide recognition for their moral complexity and spiritual resonance. This book brings the Dardennes’ filmography into consideration with theological aesthetics, Christian ethics, phenomenological film theory, and continental philosophy. The author explores the brothers’ nine major films—beginning with The Promise (1996) and culminating in Young Ahmed (2019)—through the hermeneutics of philosopher Paul Ricoeur. By using Ricoeur’s description of "parable" as a "narrative-metaphor" which generates an existential limit-experience, Joel Mayward crafts an innovative Ricoeurian hermeneutic for making theological interpretations of cinema. Drawing upon resources from three disciplinary spheres—theology, philosophy, and film studies—in a dynamic interweaving approach, Mayward proposes that the Dardennes create postsecular cinematic parables which evoke theological and ethical responses in audiences’ imaginations through the brothers’ distinctive filmmaking style, what is termed "transcendent realism." The book ultimately demonstrates how the Dardenne brothers are truly doing, not merely depicting, theology and ethics through the cinematic form—it presents film as theology, what Mayward refers to as "theocinematics." This is valuable reading for scholars of theology, philosophy, and film studies, as well as film critics and cinephiles interested in the cinema of the Dardenne brothers.

Theology and Survival Movies

Theology and Survival Movies
Author: Ioan Buteanu
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2023-03-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000841960

This book provides an innovative analysis of the survival movie genre from an Orthodox Christian anthropological perspective. Grounded in the Orthodox tradition, the approach builds from the first chapter of Genesis where man is described as made in the ‘image’ and after the ‘likeness’ of God. It offers a nuanced theological exploration of the concept of the survival movie and examines a number of significant cinematic creations, illustrating how issues of survival intersect romantic, Western, science fiction and war films. The author reflects on how survival movies offer a path for the study of human nature given they depict people in crisis situations where they may reveal their true characters. As well as discussing the role of a ‘limit situation’ as a narrative element, the book highlights the spiritual aspect of survival and points to the common hope in survival movies for something more than biological survival. It is valuable reading for scholars working in the field of religion and film.