Page - 109 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

Making Space, Claiming Place | 109www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 107–131 Digital Religion, Media, and Methodology A considerable number of studies have focused on the success of right-wing populism and its anti-Islam stance, 6 but less academic attention has been given to how Muslims themselves engage with these types of anti-Islam discourse in politics. DENK and NIDA specifically have yet to be studied more extensively in academic literature beyond some studies on DENK’s constitu- ency and electoral success.7 More broadly, various studies have contributed to the ever-expanding field of religion, media, and digital culture. Early on, notable scholars of media and religion argued that the connection between media, religion, and culture was becoming increasingly evident and urged further study of these intersections.8 Scholars have distinguished four waves in digital reli- gion research,9 with the fourth and current wave of scholarly work char- acterized by a focus on religious actors’ negotiations between online and offline lives.10 The fourth wave of research is also described as a period in which scholars pay more attention to the intertwinement of digital religion with elements such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and political ideol- ogies. As Giulia Evolvi notes, studies conducted with this approach consid- er the internet as a way of creating “new visibilities and narratives about religion, ethnicity, and gender that go against dominant perceptions and stereotypes”.11 Religion does not necessarily play an explicit role here, but religious-related discourses are diffused within people’s everyday lives and experiences.12 For the analysis in this article, this approach will be adopted. Overall, various excellent contemporary studies addressing the intersec- tions between media, religion, and culture have demonstrated the dynamic- ity, complexity, and diversity of the current state of research: for example regarding blogging13 or the Twitter atmosphere.14 The findings of research 6 For example, Wodak/Khosravinik/Mral 2013; Kaya/Tecmen 2019. 7 Vermeulen / Harteveld / van Heelsum / van der Veen 2018; Vermeulen/Santing 2018; Vermeu- len 2019; Blankvoort 2019. 8 Hoover/Lundby 1997; Hjarvard 2011. 9 Campbell/Lövheim 2017. 10 Campbell 2017. 11 Evolvi 2021, 9. 12 Evolvi 2021. 13 Evolvi 2017. 14 Van den Hemel 2019.