Religion and Consumption

Yale University's Kathryn Lofton is a historian of religion who studies how it permeates contemporary life, impacting our experience and relationship with corporations, celebrity, race, and sexuality. She examined Oprah Winfrery's multimedia productions as expressions of contemporary spirituality in her first book, 'Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon'. Her latest, 'Consuming Religion', takes up the religious dimension of contemporary consumption, from binge-watching and Britney Spears to corporate culture and Goldman Sachs. Come hear Lofton's insights into what belief means in the financial sector.

This program is presented in partnership with the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago and The Newberry Library.