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James S. Bielo | Righting America

James S. Bielo

Associate Professor, Miami University

James S. Bielo is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). He is the author of five books and more than 50 scholarly articles, chapters, & essays. He is the founding director for Materializing the Bible, a digital scholarship project that explores the social, material, and political dimensions of biblically-themed religious tourism. And, he is co-editor of a book series with the U Nebraska Press, “Anthropology of Contemporary North America.”

Featured Publications

2021. Materializing the Bible: Scripture, Sensation, Place. London: Bloomsbury.

  1. “Particles-to-People…Molecules-to-Man”: Creationist Poetics in Public Debates. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 29(1): 4-26.
  1. Of Arks and Dragons: The Power of Entertainment in Creationist Historicity. In The Varieties of Historical Experience. Stephan Palmie and Charles Stewart, eds. 140-166. London and New York: Routledge.
  1. The Materiality of Myth: Authorizing Fundamentalism at Ark Encounter. In Christian Tourist Attractions, Mythmaking, and Identity Formation. Erin Roberts and Jennifer Eyl, eds. 43-57. London: Bloomsbury.
  1. Ark Encounter: The Making of a Creationist Theme Park. New York: New York University Press.
  1. Fun-damentalism: “As-If” Experiences at a Creationist Theme Park. In Enjoying Religion: Pleasure and Fun in Established and New Religious Movements. Frans Jespers, Karin van Nieuwkerk, and Paul van der Velde, eds. 39-62. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
  1. Providence and Publicity in Waiting for a Creationist Theme Park. In Ethnographies of Waiting: Doubt, Hope, and Uncertainty. Manpreet K. Janeja and Andreas Bandak, eds. 139-162. London: Bloomsbury.
  1. The Plausibility of Immersion: Limits and Creativity in Materializing the Bible. In Christianity and The Limits of Materiality. Minna Opas and Anna Haapalainen, eds. 122-140 London: Bloomsbury  
  1. Replication as Religious Practice, Temporality as Religious Problem. History & Anthropology 28(2): 131-148. 
  1. Materializing the Bible: Ethnographic Methods for the Consumption Process. Practical Matters 9: 1-17. 

 

Links

Materializing the Bible website

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/materializing-the-bible-9781350065048/

Find James on Twitter.

 

Recent Posts by James S. Bielo

The Making of a Creationist Theme Park: Part Two

The Making of a Creationist Theme Park: Part One