
Contents
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Apocalypticism Apocalypticism
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Popular Culture Popular Culture
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Apocalyptic Fiction and Popular Culture Apocalyptic Fiction and Popular Culture
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Assessing Apocalypticism and Popular Culture Assessing Apocalypticism and Popular Culture
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Apocalypticism, Biblical and Secular Apocalypticism, Biblical and Secular
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Apocalypticism, Deep and Shallow Apocalypticism, Deep and Shallow
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Apocalypticism, Thick and Thin Apocalypticism, Thick and Thin
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Observing Apocalypticism in Popular Culture Observing Apocalypticism in Popular Culture
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Neon Genesis Evangelion Neon Genesis Evangelion
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The Matrix The Matrix
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Neuromancer Neuromancer
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Promethea— The Stand—A Canticle for Leibowitz Promethea— The Stand—A Canticle for Leibowitz
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Left Behind Left Behind
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Heaven’s Gate Heaven’s Gate
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The 2012 Phenomenon (the “Mayan Apocalypse”) The 2012 Phenomenon (the “Mayan Apocalypse”)
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Popular Culture and the Popularity of Apocalypticism Popular Culture and the Popularity of Apocalypticism
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Notes Notes
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Bibliography Bibliography
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28 Apocalypticism and Popular Culture
Get accessLorenzo DiTommaso, Professor of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
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Published:01 July 2014
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Abstract
This chapter examines apocalypticism in popular culture, based on a new understanding of apocalypticism as a historical and global worldview. The first sections describe apocalypticism, define popular culture, and discuss the role of fiction as the primary conduit through which the worldview is expressed today. The next section explores how apocalypticism can be identified and assessed in popular culture. The chapter then presents nine cases that illustrate the wide range of apocalyptic expression in contemporary popular culture: Neon Genesis Evangelion; The Matrix; Neuromancer; Promethea; The Stand; A Canticle for Leibowitz; the Left Behind series; new religious movements; and, finally, the 2012 “Mayan Apocalypse,” the Internet, and “superflat” apocalypticism. The chapter concludes with a section on the ever-increasing appeal of apocalyptic speculation in popular culture today.
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