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1	Fantasy and Belief: fiction and media as conjunct locales for metaphysical questing and spiritual understanding Danielle Kirby Unknown Date (has links) Recent years have seen an increase in alternative forms of religiosity and spirituality. In particular, a variety of alternative metaphysics and spiritualities are developing that explicitly integrate fiction, particularly fantasy, within their various paradigms. Such worldviews are notable in that they are not limited to the traditional realms of religious and spiritual engagement, but rather they extend comfortably into the worlds of contemporary popular and digital culture. This thesis is an exploration of the joint locales of fiction and new media as they relate to various forms of contemporary alternative metaphysics and spirituality. Starting with the particular case of the Otherkin, this thesis seeks to contextualize alternative beliefs that utilise fiction in relation to the broader cultural context within which they are occurring. This focus upon contextualisation emerges from the position that religious and spiritual ideologies that are heavily premised within popular culture will likely resist etic interpretation unless viewed in light of other contemporary non-religious cultural behaviours. This thesis endeavours to achieve three main goals: firstly, the provision of general information about the Otherkin as an exemplary instance of this confluence of themes; secondly, an exploration of parallel and intersecting behaviours and philosophies to be found within popular culture and occulture; and thirdly, to utilise an interpretative framework for such beliefs that does not require recourse to consumerist narratives. The discussion of alternative metaphysical beliefs and their situation finds its locus in the Otherkin; a loosely affiliated group of individuals who believe themselves to be in some way non-human. The types of creatures the Otherkin associate themselves with are sourced from numerous locales, from ancient mythological and folkloric narrative through to contemporary films and games. By exploring the various representations of the entities as well as the locales within which they occur, this thesis tracks a path through fiction and mythology, fan cultures and world creation, and occulture and the Internet. alternative religion Spirituality Internet mythical creatures fantasy fiction occulture Popular Culture otherkin magic
2	Le dynamisme de la personnalité des Yokai : et leur perception dans l’imaginaire japonais selon les époques Amyot, Geneviève 08 1900 (has links) Les Yokai sont les créatures mythiques qui tapissent le folklore japonais. Bien qu’on traduise souvent le mot Yokai par « monstre », ils ne sont pas toujours méchants. En fait, un même Yokai peut être à la fois bon ou mauvais – leur personnalité est changeante selon les histoires. Je me demande alors si le contexte historique peut expliquer ces changements caractériels. J’observe donc lors de mon étude trois différents Yokai (Kappa, Tanuki et Tengu) dans les contes de trois ères historiques japonaises différentes afin de voir s’il y a vraiment un lien – et à l’inverse, voir s’il est possible de dater un conte de par le comportement du Yokai qui y figure. / Yokais are mythical creatures found in Japanese folklore. This word is often translated with “monster”, however this does not mean that they are always evil. In fact, one same creature can be both good and bad – their personalities vary depending on the tale. I am thus wondering if historical context can explain these characteristic changes. Therefore, I will here study the behaviour of three different Yokais (Kappa, Tanuki and Tengu) in tales of three different Japanese eras to see if there is indeed a connection – and also the other way around, to see if it would be possible to date a tale based on its Yokais’ behaviour. Yokai Folklore japonais Contes et légendes Tengu Kappa Tanuki Créatures mythiques Histoire du Japon Folklore japonais Fairy Tales Folk tales Folklore Edo Meiji Mythical creatures Taisho Showa Études japonaises Culture populaire Kaidan contes japonais Japan Japon Japanese Folklore Japanese history Japanese Studies Japanese tales Popular culture

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Fantasy and Belief: fiction and media as conjunct locales for metaphysical questing and spiritual understanding

Le dynamisme de la personnalité des Yokai : et leur perception dans l’imaginaire japonais selon les époques