File(s) under permanent embargo
Changing old habits? ‘New Age’ Catholicism, subjectivity and gender in BBC2’s The Monastery and its reception
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:48 authored by Lyn ThomasThis article focuses on a recent BBC television programme, The Monastery, and its reception. The analysis demonstrates how religion becomes visible here through a hybrid televisual form merging ‘reality’ conventions with those of quality television. It argues that this ‘quality reality’ format both participates in, and nuances the making of class and gender in reality television. The analysis suggests that the religious culture represented here is also hybrid, combining elements of the alternative and subjectively focused spiritual practices researched by Heelas and Woodhead with Catholicism. The second part of the article discusses the responses to these representations of a small number of engaged viewers recruited at retreats at the filmed monastery, Worth Abbey in Sussex. It argues that the programme’s hybrid forms and representations, and particularly its representation of caring and spiritual masculinity, can explain its appeal to predominantly middle- class, white women viewers.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
European Journal of Cultural StudiesISSN
1367-5494Publisher
SAGE PublicationsExternal DOI
Issue
5Volume
14Page range
558-572Department affiliated with
- Media and Film Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-09-18First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2013-09-18Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC