Although initially dismissed as “a holiday from history” (Will), a “frivolous if not decadent decade” (Rich), and a “time of trivial pursuits” (Halberstam) (cf. Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), the 1990s have increasingly been recognized as a pivotal historical moment. Scholars have underscored its defining impact, with Wegner characterizing the decade as “life between two deaths,” framed by the end of the Cold War and the events of 9/11 (2009).

Religious trends in the 1990s similarly resisted simple classification. Roof described American religiosity as neither a revival nor a decline but rather “a religious kaleidoscope, always changing in its forms” (1996, 183-93). The decade’s “religious energies” privileged experience over belief and exploration over certitude, centering personal meaning and social belonging. Albanese observed that 1990s spirituality emphasized “sight and vision” (1993, 338), while Neal noted that popular culture became a key site for religious engagement, providing “a wealth of resources for spiritual seekers” and fostering “the increasingly dominant do-it-yourself kind of religion” (2019, 190).The intersection of religion and popular culture in the 1990s was shaped by rapid technological change, evolving media landscapes, and increasing globalization. The rise of the internet, the expansion of cable television, and the acceleration of consumer culture all contributed to new modes of religious and spiritual expression. Far from fading from public life, religion found fresh avenues in mass media, commodification, and digital spaces, reaching new audiences and acquiring new meanings.

Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties will explore the dynamic relationship between religion and popular culture in the U.S. during this transformative decade, examining not only the media and texts of the time but also everyday practices, material culture, and the lived experiences. While scholarship on the 1990s has expanded across disciplines—including history (Anderson 2024; Brooke-Smith 2022), film studies (Laist 2015; Palmer 2009), political studies (Ganz 2024; Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), and cultural criticism (Klosterman 2022; Wegner 2009)—a sustained focus on religion and popular culture remains an underexplored avenue.

Rather than simply examine texts and practices that happened to exist in the 1990s, this collection will critically engage with phenomena linked to defining features of the decade (or of moments and aspects of it), examining how these elements helped shape and interpret “the Nineties” as a “cultural period”. We adopt a broad understanding of popular culture, encompassing not only film, television, and music but also a wide spectrum of everyday practices and material culture. Likewise, we approach religion in an expansive sense, considering not only institutional traditions but also alternative spiritualities, nonreligion, and even conspiratorial thinking. The volume will primarily focus on the U.S. context, but it will consider contributions that examine global and transnational perspectives where relevant.

Potential contributors are encouraged to explore questions such as: How did religion and spirituality intersect with the cultural products, practices, and artifacts of the 1990s? How did religious ideas find new expression in film, television, and music? What role did religion play in shaping identity and lifestyle, from fashion to consumer goods? How did the rise of digital technologies and early internet cultures open new spaces for religious expression? In what ways did the political and cultural “culture wars” of the 1990s shape the boundaries between the sacred and the secular?

Submissions may focus on (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Religious themes in 1990s film and television
• Music and spirituality in the 1990s
• Video games and religious symbolism
• Comics, superheroes, and religious mythology
• Fan cultures and religion
• Celebrity and religion in the 1990s
• Advertising, fashion, and material religion
• Toys, games, and religious commodification
• New Age spirituality in everyday practices
• The commodification of religion
• Religion, technology, and early internet cultures
• The role of religion in political discourse: The culture wars of the 1990s
• Globalization and religious exchange in the 1990s
• The political and cultural implications of the 1990s “end of history” debate

Submission Guidelines

We welcome proposals from scholars across disciplines, including religious studies, cultural studies, media studies, political science, sociology, and history. Abstracts should be no more than 500 words, accompanied by a brief author biography (up to 300 words).

Proposals are due by March 22, 2025. Please send submissions and inquiries to nineties.religion@gmail.com.

Works Cited

T.H. Anderson, Why the Nineties Matter, Oxford University Press, 2024.

J. Brooke-Smith, Accelerate! : A History of the 1990s, History Press, 2022.

C.L. Albanese, “From New Thought to New Vision: The Shamanic Paradigm in Contemporary Spirituality,” Communication & Change in American Religious History, 1993.

D.H. Chollet, and J. Goldgeier, America between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11, Perseus Books, 2008.

J. Ganz, When the Clock Broke : Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked up in the Early 1990s, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024.

C. Klosterman The Nineties: A Book, Penguin Press, 2022.

R. Laist, Cinema of Simulation: Hyperreal Hollywood in the Long 1990s, Bloomsbury, 2015.

L.S. Neal, Religion in Vogue: Christianity and Fashion in America, New York University Press, 2019.

W.J. Palmer, The Films of the Nineties: The Decade of Spin, Springer, 2009.

W.C. Roof, “Religious Kaleidoscope: American Religion in the 1990s,” Temenos 32 (1996).

P.E. Wegner, Life between Two Deaths, 1989-2001: U.S. Culture in the Long Nineties, Duke University Press Books, 2009.