Lauren E. Shoemaker adopts a film studies approach to analyze the representation of cults in US popular culture, arguing that these portrayals play a dual role in both generating harmful stereotypes and, perhaps more importantly, examining structures of power that uphold oppressive systems.Whether adapting the stories of real-life cults for the screen or creating fictional ones that draw from historical examples, popular culture that centers extreme or non-normativ...

Avian Aesthetics in Literature and Culture: Birds and Humans in the Popular Imagination closes the gap between ornithological and humanities knowledge. This book contains fifteen innovative essays that bridge various environment-focused perspectives and methodologies in order to include birds in current conversations within the field of animal studies. This collection challenges species centrism, advances a biodiverse ontology, and embraces bird-centered topics as diverse as gaming, comic ...