Crucifixions, Cosplay, and Participatory Fan Cultures

This chapter analyzes the bodily self-mortification practices (e.g., flagellation, crucifixion) of some Christians in the Philippines during Holy Week by comparing and contrasting them with a range of practices centered around cosplay (especially “enacted cosplay”) performed by some members of participatory fan cultures in America. The phenomena have multiple points of overlap, including the reenactment of a fictional or mythic text via costume and/or bodily modification in the hopes of replicating or imitating the prized values, behaviors, and actions embodied by a specific character within that text for the purposes of individual benefit and communal good. The chapter ends by considering the value of such a comparison vis-à-vis the academic study of religion.