Toys and Teaching Tools

Abstract Chapter 7 discusses contemporary material engagements with the Ark: how people interact with models of the Ark, as toys, as travel souvenirs, as recreated objects in museums, and in contemporary Evangelical church experiences. The theoretical theme of this chapter is how people make sense of the Ark, the past, and their world, through engagement with objects. Building off of anthropological models such as “thing theory,” how different communities use various kinds of models of the Ark for communication, education, identity formation, religious experience, and play are explored here. The chapter especially concentrates on film fandom cultures, tourism, and new religious movements.