Introduction Essay: Special Issue of RMDC on Public Scholarship, Media and Religion

Public scholarship has become a buzzword among colleges and universities that increasingly encourage their faculty to translate and share their research to a broader public beyond the academy through media outlets. Scholars of media, culture, and religion are well placed to do this work, by showing how their focused research in these areas enables them to speak to and offer commentary on current political and cultural events in society. The 2018 conference of the International Society for Media, Religion, and Culture (ismrc) focused on this theme, considering the challenges and opportunities created by doing public scholarship that speaks to the relationship between media and religion. While there are benefits to making scholarship about topics like media and religion accessible to a general audience, challenges arise when academics enter public spaces that contain their own particular communication structures, pressures and expectations. Papers and keynotes presented at the ismrc conference revealed significant interconnections regarding how media and religion interact and impact one another. Scholars are increasingly pushed to prove the public relevance of their work; religions compete with other cultural institutions for recognition and a voice; and media provide useful tools and productive spaces for scholars and religious leaders to do this work of demonstrating relevance.