As Good as Dead: Emory Magazine on ‘Zombethics’ Symposium
Last year on Halloween I was a part of a symposium at Emory University on zombies and “zombethics.” I was a part of a panel discussion where I discussed zombie walks and Zombie Jesus and the implications of this for conceptions of body and mind. (Read a summary of my presentation.) You can read the [...]
The Walking Dead and Nazi Ethics
Last night’s episode of The Walking Dead titled “I Ain’t a Judas,” continued its incorporation of ethical themes for those interested in finding them and exploring their meanings. It surfaced in two ways in this episode, and both with reference to ethical considerations surrounding (believe it or not) Nazi Germany. In the first instance we [...]
The Undead and Theology is a Stoker Finalist/Nominee
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Final Ballot for the 2012 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (see www.horror.org) is the premiere writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with nearly 1000 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987 (see http://www.horror.org/stokers.htm). The HWA Board [...]
Zombie Documentary Airs on the Discovery Channel
Last night a new “documentary” aired on the Discovery channel titled Zombie Apocalypse. For several years now apocalyptic dread has been in the cultural air, and this week the Mayan calendar has been a major focus of this in 2012 that has included various television treatments, but zombie apocalyptic variants are not far behind. Recently [...]
The Walking Dead Season 3: Social and Cultural Reflections
Last night AMC aired the mid-season finale for The Walking Dead until the series resumes in February of 2013. In light of the break I thought I’d share some reflections that came to mind as a result of the last few episodes. One of the interesting plot elements that connect The Walking Dead to previous [...]
Zombies with a Romantic Twist: Trailer for Warm Bodies
Romance in connection with monsters has usually been reserved for the vampire, and the occasional monster who has the misfortune of falling in love with a human female as in King Kong or Creature from the Black Lagoon. But the trailer for a new film, Warm Bodies, shows that the zombie is now being drawn [...]
Emory University, Zombies, and the Significance of Nihilistic Horror
On Halloween I had the opportunity to be a part of a panel on religion and zombies at Emory University’s symposium on Zombies and Zombethics. This session was sold out, and filled with lots of interested listeners. My colleague and friend Scott Poole, author of Monsters in America, was one of my fellow panelists, and [...]
Emory Symposium on Zombies and ‘Zombethics’
I will be sitting on a panel and contributing to the topic via religion and zombies. For further background see my previous post.
Emory University Conference on Neuroscience, Zombies, and ‘Zombethics’
I am amazed at the opportunities and invitations that have come my way since I extended my academic work into the area of religion and popular culture. This has included writing for publications like Religion Dispatches, where among other things I have written on the intersection between zombies in popular culture and theology. In that [...]
