PANDORA’S BOX: RELIGION, ECOLOGY AND POPULAR CULTURE

Authors

  • Ольга Константиновна Михельсон St. Petersburg State University, 7–9, Universitetskaya nab., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu17.2016.410

Abstract

Th e paper is devoted to the link between the ecology of religion and popular culture. Recently these fi elds have become topical for both contemporary cultural discourse and religious studies while environmentalism itself has oft en been considered as a form of implicit religion. J. Cameron’s fi lm “Avatar” being an exemplarily work of popular culture raising environmental issues is in the main focus of the paper. Th e ‘Na’vi’ culture and religion invented for the purposes of the fi lm are interpreted in tight connection to Pandora’s nature. Th e methodological approach underling the importance of investigating archaic religions in their coexistence with nature was developed by Å. Hultkrantz whose theory became the basis of the ecology of religion, however here it is applied to the study of a product of popular culture. In “Avatar” one can see a range of religious beliefs starting with a Hindu term used for the title and fi nishing with “animism” and “pantheism”. Th ese religious ideas gave rise to sharp criticism from some Catholics and Protestants who blamed the fi lm for promoting worship of nature turning it into divinity and ecology into religion. On the other hand, Christianity itself has been criticized for its neglect of nature resulting from its fi ght with paganism. So, in some sense “Avatar” “promoting” an absolutely diff erent attitude to nature returns us to the pre-Christian epoch. Th e religious beliefs of the Na’vi can be taken as an example of “dark green religion” and the main hero resembles contemporary radical environmentalists. “Avatar” defi nitely romanticizes the so called “noble savage” but it is hard to deny that in the fi eld of religion, ecology and popular culture Cameron’s work is a milestone. Pandora invented by Cameron has opened its box to make us think more carefully of religion and ecology as the means of popular culture which are very easy to understand. Refs 24.

Keywords:

ecology of religion, popular culture, environmentalism, “Avatar”

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References

Литература

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References

Lunkin R. N. Toska po sem’e i prirode: taina uspekha «Zveniashchikh kedrov Rossii» [Longing for Family and Friends: Secret of the Ringing Cedars of Russia Success]. Available at: http://www.keston.org.uk/_ russianreview/ edition33/01lunkin-about-anastasia.html (accessed: 09.11.2015). (In Russian)

Aloi G. Art and Animals. New York I. B. Tauris Publ. 2012. 192 p.

Andreeva J. Pranskevičiūtė R. The Meanings of Family Homestead in the Anastasia Movement: the Cases of Russia and Lithuania. Humanitāro zinātņu vēstnesis. Daugavpils Daugavpils Universitātes Humanitārā fakultāte Publ.2010 no. 18 pp. 94–107.

Bartkowski J. P. Swearinge W. S. God Meets Gaia in Austin Texas: a Case Study of Environmentalism as Implicit Religion. Review of Religious Research1997 vol. 38 no. 4 pp. 308–324.

Bernavides G. Ecology and Religion. Religion and Nature vol. 1. Ed. by Bron R. Taylor. London New York Thoemmes Continuum Publ.2008 pp. 548–554.

Bjerke S. Ecology of Religion Evolutionism and Comparative Religion. Religion and Reason. Ed. by L. Honko. The Hague Mouton Publishers1979 pp. 237–248.

Brereton P. Hollywood Utopia: Ecology in Contemporary American Cinema. Bristol Intellect Books Publ. 2005. 270 p.

Cappuccio M. “I See You” through a Glass Darkly. Avatar and the Limits of Empathy. Avatar and Philosophy: Learning to See. Ed. by G. A. Dunn. Chichester John Wiley & Sons Inc.2014 pp. 74–86.

DeChant D. Religion and Ecology in Popular Culture. Understanding Religion and Popular Culture: Theories Themes Products and Practices. Ed. by T. R. Clark D. W. Clanton. London New York Routledge 2012. 216 p.

Eberl J. T. “Eywa Will Provide” Pantheism Christianity and the Value of Nature. Avatar and Philosophy: Learning to See. Ed. by G. A. Dunn. Chichester John Wiley & Sons Inc.2014 pp. 19–35.

Hultkrantz Å. An Ecoligical Approach to Religion. Ethnos1966 vol. 31 pp. 131–150.

Hultkrantz A. Ecology of Religion: Its Scope and Methodology. Religion and Reason. Ed. by L. Honko. The Hague Mouton Publishers1979 pp. 221–235.

LeBlanc J. Eco-Thomism. Environmental Ethics1999 vol. 21 issue 3 Fall. pp. 293–306.

Liu M. Confucius says: Ouch — ‘Avatar’ trumps China’s great sage. Newsweek. February 4 2010. Available at: http://www.newsweek.com/china-moviegoers-choose-avatar-over-confucius-74967 (accessed: 12.11.2015).

Murray R. L. Heumann J. K. Ecology and Popular Film: Cinema on the Edge. Albany State University of New York 2009. 229 p.

Rappaport R. A. Ecology Meaning and Religion. Richmond. North Atlantic Books. University of Michigan Publ. 1979. 267 p.

Saler B. Conceptualizing Religion: Immanent Anthropologists Transcendent Natives and Unbounded Categories. Leiden The Netherlands Brill 1993. 292 p.

Shilpa J. “Avatar” may be subconsciously linked to India — Cameron. Reuters India. 15.03. 2010. Available at: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-46916320100315 (accessed: 10.11.2015).

Taylor B. Dark green religion. Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future. Berkeley University of California Press 2009. 338 p.

Taylor B. The Religion and Politics of Avatar. Avatar and Nature Spirituality. Ed. by B. Tayler. Ontario Wilfrid Laurier University Press2013 pp. 13–22.

Taylor B. Truth and Fiction in Avatar’s Cosmogony and Nature Religion. Avatar and Nature Spirituality. Ed. by B. Tayler. Ontario Wilfrid Laurier University Press2013 pp. 301–336.

White L. The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crises. Science. New Series 1967 (Mar. 10) vol. 155 no. 3767 pp. 1203–1207.

Wilhelm M. Mathison D. James Cameron’s Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide. New York Harper Collins 2009. 224 p.

Wirzba N. The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age. Oxford New Yorkm Oxford University Press 2003. 240 p.

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Published

2018-10-08

How to Cite

Михельсон, О. К. (2018). PANDORA’S BOX: RELIGION, ECOLOGY AND POPULAR CULTURE. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies, 32(4), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu17.2016.410

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 4 (2016): Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Series 17. PHILOSOPHY. CONFLICT STUDIES. CULTURE STUDIES. RELIGIOUS STUDIES.

Section

Philosophy

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.