10.17192/mjr.2018.20.7699 Krüger, Oliver Oliver Krüger The ‘Logic’ of Mediatization Theory in Religion: A critical consideration of a new paradigm Marburg Journal of Religion : Vol 20 No 1 (2018) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2018 mediatization mediation religion internet Institute for Comparative Cultural Research - Study of Religions and Anthropology 2018-10-09 2018-10-08 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2018/233/7699 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0004-2018-233-76991 https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.2018.20.1 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2018/233/7699/7699.png 1612-2941 application/pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 The concept of mediatization was introduced to research on religion a decade ago by several scholars of communication: Hepp, Hjarvard and Sá Martino. The approach is controversial and has been debated in religious studies and beyond. This article critically analyses the core elements of mediatization theory in religion. These elements are the dating and measurement of mediatization, the secularization and the concept of ‘banal religion,’ the understanding of ‘religion’ and of ‘media,’ and the process of deterritorialization. This analysis questions the empirical evidence for and the theoretical consistency of the mediatization approach. Finally, some alternative research perspectives are presented. 1612-2941 Marburg Journal of Religion Vol 20 No 1 (2018)