Date of Award

1-1-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Religious and Theological Studies

First Advisor

Lynn Schofield Clark, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Diane Waldman

Third Advisor

Antony Alumkal

Keywords

Colbert, Emerging adults, Identity

Abstract

Utilizing textual analysis and in-depth interviews of self-identified Christian participants ages 18-35 (n=20), this dissertation explores the way Comedy Central's The Colbert Report portrays Christianity, how young Christian viewers negotiate their religio-political identity in relation to the show, and what this negotiation says about the religio-political landscape of Christian emerging adults (19-29) (Arnett, 2004) in the United States. I conclude that The Colbert Report provides a contextual occasion for critical religio-political reflection, and that Christian emerging adults of myriad Christian subcultures negotiate their religio-political identity in relation to The Colbert Report to varying degrees as they select differing reference points within the show as a means of shaping and strengthening previous and ongoing identity markers.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

Rights holder

Jill Elizabeth Dierberg

File size

241 p.

File format

application/pdf

Language

en

Discipline

Religion, Sociology

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