The Religious Politics of Theme Parks in the 21st century: Imagineering Religion, Heritage and National Sentiments

Introduction

Why do religious theme parks appear in secular countries? MAKEBELIEF investigates how in the 21st century, immersive media are mobilized to 'imagineer' religion. The project provides a comparative analysis of religious theme parks in China, Turkey, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Research Levels

MAKEBELIEF investigates religious theme parks on three levels:

1. Documentary Analysis
   This project analyzes why religious organizations, heritage institutions, government agencies, and corporations in constitutionally secular countries came to design and use immersive media environments to orchestrate a public image of religion.

2. Media Genealogy and Participatory Observation
   By using participatory observation and media genealogy, MAKEBELIEF analyzes how immersive media forms (e.g., animatronics, 4D cinema, re-enactment, the diorama, but also the theme park as a genre) are deployed in attempts to engineer people’s image of religion worldwide.

3. Ethnographic Engagement
   Through ethnographic engagement with visitors and social media analysis, it researches how audiences react to and re-appropriate such attempts at ‘imagineering’ religion.

Case Studies and Work Packages

MAKEBELIEF offers four case studies, a synthesizing and comparative work package, and a visual anthropological work package to explore the dynamics of religion in the 21st century.

Contributions to the Field

This way, MAKEBELIEF breaks ground in three areas:

1. Academic Framework
   Providing an academic framework that integrates the study of religion, heritage, and politics to better identify 21st-century contestations for the public meaning of religion.

2. Study of Immersive Media
   Furthering the study of immersive media environments by researching their roles in religion, heritage, and nation.

3. Understanding Perception
   An improved understanding of how attempts to influence people’s perception of religion play out in the everyday lives of 21st-century citizens.

Importance of Findings

MAKEBELIEF’s findings will be of importance to those concerned with the future role of religion, including policymakers, religious communities, and heritage institutions.