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"In this article I primarily focus upon locally produced television serials (also called maboke, théâtre populaire, or télédramatiques), which constitute one important genre that help to spread what some describe as the Pentecostalist ideology. The main theme of Kinshasa’s post-millennial tele ... dramas is the spiritual battle (Li. litumba ya molimo). They show how the Devil and his accomplices (demons and witches) operate in the material world and thus combat the Christian God. Witches, fools and pastors are the main protagonists of the teleserials. The programmes often conclude with confessions and deliverances. Such rituals are connected with understandings of evil and culturally accepted means of restoration and purification. The moral progression of the serials’ protagonists reflects a didactic purpose, showing the audience how to become a good Christian and how to hold strong in the spiritual battle (Pype 2008). Special effects are deliberately deployed to make manifest the hidden workings of occult practitioners and the miraculous effects of prayers, deliverance rituals and Christian expertise. With regard to the serials’ format, the insertion of Christian songs at the beginning and ending of the episodes, the dropping of Biblical verses into scenes and display of Bible verses in the corners of the screen during the broadcasts indicate the Christian character of Kinshasa’s teleserials. All these characteristics relate both to the instructive goal of the serials and to the intentions of the dramatic artists to create a mood among the audience to watch the programs as divine lessons. As most of Kinshasa’s evangelising artists state, they aim at bringing a spiritual awareness to the audience. They also hope to transmit spiritual knowledge via the interplay of the fictitious narrative, the power of the Word (activated through the multiple Bible verses that are pronounced) and the image (special effects such as visualisations of the occult). The main questions addressed here are how, why and when Kinshasa’s television serials have acquired this Pentecostalist character. I approach Kinshasa’s teleserials not at all as quasi-timeless symbolic documents but as cultural products that carry a history embedded in the significant political and cultural processes Kinois have witnessed." (Page 133) more

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Show da fé e de sentido(s): O universo eclesial como mediaçao sociocultural

Rosa Malena Pignatari

Bauru: Universidade Estadual Paulista, Master Thesis (2009), 272 pp.

"Às vésperas de completar 100 anos em 2010, o pentecostalismo no Brasil se mostra como um fenômeno complexo, multifacetado, desafiando comunicadores, empresários da mídia, sociólogos, pastores, crentes, ateus e também pesquisadores da comunicação social, já que na contemporaneidade as expe ... more

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"Delas é o Reino dos Céus": Mídia evangélica infantil e o supermercado cultural religioso no Brasil (anos 1950 a 2000)

Karina Kosicki Bellotti

História , volume 28, issue 1 (2009), pp. 621-652

"Apresentamos uma história cultural da mídia evangélica infantil produzida no Brasil entre os anos 1950 e 2000. Defendemos que o uso da mídia foi um importante fator para a constituição de uma cultura evangélica brasileira, voltada para o consumo individual e questões do cotidiano. A mídia ... more

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Fundamentalisms and the Media

Stewart M. Hoover, Nadia Kaneva (eds.)

London: Continuum (2009), xii, 223 pp.

"Outside the West, religion is an ever more prominent force in social and political movements of both reform and retrenchment. Across these contexts, no issue in religion is of as much concern as fundamentalism - or rather the fundamentalisms within various traditions - which are seen to be fomentin ... more

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The New Virtual (inter) Face of African Pentecostalism

Rosalind I. J. Hackett

Society, volume 46 (2009), pp. 496-503

"In the absence of research on religion and the Internet in Africa, this paper examines select African Pentecostal ministries that are developing websites as a major new interface for interacting with their membership, with potential converts, competing or partnering religious groups, and organs of ... more

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‘We Need to Open Up the Country’: Development and the Christian Key Scenario in the Social Space of Kinshasa’s Teleserials

Katrien Pype

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 1, issue 1 (2009), pp. 101-116

"This article discusses discourses on development in the social space of Kinshasa’s post-Mobutu teleserials. The producers (dramatic artists and born-again Christian leaders; some are both) contend that their work will transform society, counter the social and political crisis and improve the nati ... more

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Aesthetic Formations: Media, Religion, and the Senses

Birgit Meyer (ed.)

New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2009), xiv, 278 pp.

"This book examines the incorporation of newly accessible mass media into practices of religious mediation in a variety of settings including the Pentecostal Church and Islamic movements, as well as the use of religious forms and image in the sphere of radio and cinema." (Publisher description)

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A Igreja Universal e seus demônios: Um estudo etnográfico

Ronaldo de Almeida

São Paulo: Terceiro Nome (2009), 149 pp.

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TV brasileira: Novo púlpito da igreja eletrônica. O verbo se faz imagem televisiva

Gerson Schmidt

Porto Alegre: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Mestrado em Comunicação Social (2008), 135 pp.

"A Igreja Eletrônica é uma realidade concreta que surge no contexto pós-moderno, na contemplação das imagens, dentro de um mundo globalizado, técnico e espetacular. Ela é aqui analisada como fenômeno imagético e de comunicação. A TV Brasileira se torna palco e púlpito de novos atores rel ... more

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Understanding Evangelical Media: The Changing Face of Christian Communication

Quentin J. Schultze, Robert Woods (eds.)

Downers Grove, Illin.: IVP Academic (2008), 347 pp.

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Religião e TV: Um estudo de programas neopentecostais

Celso Alfaro Malheiros

São Paulo: Faculdade Cáspero Líbero, Mestrado en Comunicação (2008), 194 pp.

"The religious presence on TV programs has been increasing in Brazil, where churches, especially the neopentecostals, have been using the mass communication ways, especially the television, to advertise their messages and attract new followers. This project studies the usage of television by religio ... more

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Strong Religion, Zealous Media: Christian Fundamentalism and Communication in India

Pradip Thomas

New Dehli: Sage (2008), xvii, 207 pp.

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Evangélicos e mídia no Brasil: Uma história de acertos e desacertos

Leonildo Silveira Campos

Rever: Revista de Estudos da Religião, issue setembro (2008), pp. 1-26

"Este artigo contém duas partes. Na primeira, há um conjunto de reflexões sobre as relações entre evangélicos e mídia no Brasil. Nela, se faz um passeio por um processo de mudanças ocorridas desde a fase da oralidade e da imprensa até o período contemporâneo, que é o da comunicação med ... more

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Spirit Media: Charismatics, Traditionalists, and Mediation Practices in Ghana

Marleen de Witte

Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam (2008), 404 pp.

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Die neue Evangelisierung in Lateinamerika: Fallbeispiel Brasilien. Die Folha Universal und ihre Bedeutung für den Diskurs der Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus

Raphael Thalhammer

Halle: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Grupo de Investigación de Literaturas y Culturas de América Latina (GILCAL) (2007), 61 pp.

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Videofilm in Ghana: Ein neues Unterhaltungsmedium im Zentrum der öffentlichen Sphäre

Steffen Köhn

Mainz: Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität (2007), 101 pp.

"Da der Staat sein früheres Medienmonopol weitestgehend verloren hat, ist eine liberalisierte und demokratisierte öffentliche Sphäre entstanden, die divergierende und miteinander konkurrierende Sichtweisen ermöglicht. Neue hegemoniale Bestrebungen gehen nun jedoch vor allem vom Pfingstchristentu ... more

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Mídia e religião na sociedade do espectáculo

José Marques de Melo, Maria Cristina Gobbi, Ana Claudia Braun Endo (eds.)

São Bernardo do Campo: Universidade Metodista de São Paulo (2007), 302 pp.