RELIGIONS EVERYWHERE
Symbols, Images, and Transgressions
In recent years, religious references have gained prominence in the public sphere, causing a stir and sparking heated debates. This trend is evident in various contexts, from political rallies to street demonstrations, from advertising billboards to fashion shows, and the advent of new technologies. The reasons for this renewed visibility can be found in the recognition of the symbolic dimension’s importance in shaping our reality. This has led a diverse range of social actors, both collective and individual, to publicly utilize signs and images associated with the sphere of religion, transcending their original contexts. The volume, which interweaves analyses conducted at an international level, documents this general thesis by highlighting the media’s role in driving these processes. Without forgetting that religions themselves are attempting, albeit riskily, to break new ground.
CONTESTED SYMBOLS
Religious Symbols between Public Representations and Legal Conflicts
Who do religious symbols belong to? Who can use them, and how? What conflicts are triggered by their use and who is entitled to resolve them? These questions touch on topics that our society is questioning today and pave the way for theoretical reflections on the transformations of a symbolic asset that is increasingly contested in the public space. Drawing on interdisciplinary research spanning sociology and law, this volume offers interpretations that, through detailed and in-depth analysis, aim to address these questions. To achieve this, Nardella, Toscano, and Vanoni took a multi-pronged approach, establishing a long-term collaboration that brought together their respective analytical perspectives and expertise.
THE MIGRATION OF SYMBOLS
Advertising and Religion
Why does advertising resort to religious content to promote products that have no apparent connection to religion? When did this start? Addressing these questions requires a reflection on a significant shift in the exchange of symbolic goods, both religious and economic, and public discourses that have gained prominence. In this book a vast sample of advertisements spanning fifty years of Italian social history is analyzed, which allows in turn to identify the most frequently used religious symbols, the advertising purposes they serve, and changes in their use over time. Convergences and tensions between meaning and consensus are highlighted, which point to a shift in the use of religious symbols beyond the boundaries of their field.
