▼ Through comparing the use of emotion, theology and philosophy in the moral pedagogies of Eastern Orthodoxy and Mahayana Buddhism, this thesis elucidates both the substantive and methodological issues involved in comparing disparate religious traditions. Through the application of a modified set of comparative principles derived from the Comparative Religious Ideas Project, the study shows that such a methodology can provide a partial explanation for the “same-yet-different” or Jonathan Z. Smith’s “déjà vu” phenomenon. It is argued that the knowledge gained from this form of comparison is not merely an epistemologically dubious construct of western scholarship which is artificially imposed upon the traditions. Rather, this comparative method reveals a process of “concept simplification” which occurs when a religious tradition shifts from the act of philosophizing and theologizing to the act of moral education. This shift results in the alignment of previously disparate concepts, thus contributing to the “same-yet-different” phenomenon. Advisors/Committee Members: Wilson, Elizabeth.

▼ This thesis explores the intersection of evangelical Christianity, entertainment, and consumerism in America through a cultural ethnography of the Holy Land Experience theme park in Orlando, Florida. This case study examines the diversity within the evangelical subculture and the blurring of the line between sacred and secular in American popular culture. In this thesis, I begin by discussing the historical lineage of American evangelical entertainment and consumerism, as well as disneyfication theories. I then classify the Holy Land Experience as a contemporary form of disneyfied evangetainment. Finally, I delve into the implications of classifying this theme park as a sacred space, a pilgrimage, or a replica, and I explore the types of worship and material objects sold and purchased at the Holy Land Experience. Advisors/Committee Members: Williams, Peter.

▼ This paper explores how competing religio-political identities are articulated at the sub-national level and operationalized in the Lebanese public sphere. I consider the question of identity in the context of Lebanese consociationalism, as the absence of a coherent national identity has been interpreted as a primary obstacle to the adoption of a more integrative politics. In an effort to shed light on selected points of conflict between Lebanon’s sects, I offer a focused comparison of Maronite and Shi'i identity programs in historical context before considering the implications of diversity for the nature and function of power-sharing arrangements as well as for the consolidation of the nation. Finally, I discuss the results of a preliminary research project conducted with a sample of Lebanese university students. I am interested here primarily in how a “liberal” university education may or may not impact students’ articulations of religio-political identity and, ultimately, their political decision-making. Advisors/Committee Members: Poirier, Lisa J.M.