Religions Aspects in the Mechanism of Asian Idol-Fan Pop Culture | 亚洲偶像-粉丝文化机制中的宗教因素
    Kevin Schilbrack defines religion as an intersection between the features of functionalist and substantive, namely, 'the social practices authorized by reference to a superempirical reality'. Using Schilbrack's definition as framework, the essay aims at analyzing the idol-fan culture in Asia satisfies the functionalist standard of religion but fails to meet its substantive aspect. The idol industry in Asia functions religiously in psychological and social perspectives: it benefits the practitioners psychologically by improving self-identification through the cultivation of idol-fan relationship; it also develops comradeship and community cooperation through fan-fan relationship. The consumption of idol-centered commodity strengthens the bonding between fan community, a similar mode with religious consumption. However, the appreciation is limited within the empirical factors of the idol (face, body, etc.). and nonempirical values (hard-working, talents, etc.). The absence of belief in superempirical being (independent from human, able to transcend the impermanent boundary) fails the idol culture to meet the substantive standard, thus cannot be categorized as religion under Shilbrack's definition.

     凯文.希尔布莱克把宗教定义为功能性与实体性的交集，即“因参照某种超验存在而被认证的社会活动”。本文以希尔布莱克的定义为框架，论证亚洲的偶像-粉丝文化满足其宗教定义中功能性的标准，但未达到其实体性的标准。即，偶像文化在心理及社交领域的功能类似宗教：在心理学方面，通过偶像-粉丝关系提升粉丝自我认同与自信；在社交方面，通过粉丝群发展友谊与群体合作。消费偶像周边产品巩固粉丝群，与宗教类消费有相似商业模型。然而，在实体性标准之下，偶像-粉丝文化的崇拜对象仅限于偶像的外在实证型特质（容貌、身材等）以及偶像的内在非实证型特质（勤奋、才华等），而非某种超验存在（独立于人的意志、可超越现世无常的存在），因而不能满足宗教的实体性定义，不能被归类为希尔布莱克定义下的宗教。