I teach, conduct research and appear in public. With my projects, I contribute to both academic and socially relevant discussions. 2022 gewann ich eine Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellowship (EU Horizon 2020, 24 Monate) for interdisciplinary research on weddings and media. See www.promising-images.eu.
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Workshop, 13.11.2026, 9.30–16.00, Universität Zürich,
gemeinsam mit Natalie Fritz
On TikTok, "Tradwives" bake bread and quote the Bible, online dating is also possible in a "kosher" way, and AI image programs transform politicians into Jesus figures. These examples show how religion is negotiated in the digital space today. The workshop offers an introduction to media and religion with a focus on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. In addition to theoretical foundations, various methodological approaches will be presented and tested in group work. The aim is to critically reflect on digital religion and to gain inspiration for classroom use.
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Marie-Therese Mäder und Anna-Katharina Höpflinger (Ed.)
Love, a white dress, a veil, and wedding vows – our ideas of weddings are strongly shaped by media. Films, TV series, social media, and photography stage and negotiate what an “ideal” wedding should look like. At the same time, weddings are diverse rites of passage that connect religious traditions, social values, and individual expectations. This edited volume explores these interrelations from perspectives in religious studies, history, sociology, and cultural studies.
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Encyclopedia entry: La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928), Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism
In this encyclopedia entry I write about "La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc" (1928). The mute film is renowned for its radically reductionist style and Dreyer’s innovative use of close-ups and editing. Focusing solely on Joan’s trial and execution, the film emphasizes her reactions while depicting her prosecutors as threatening through low-angle shots. Minimalist sets and impressionistic montage detach the narrative from historical realism. Falconetti’s intense close-up performance became iconic. The tension between concrete representation and formal abstraction shifts the film into an indeterminate time and space, enabling it to be read as a work of religious art oriented toward spiritual transcendence.
Maeder, Marie-Therese. La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928). Taylor and Francis, 2024. Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780415249126-REM2167-1.
Mäder, Marie-Therese. „A Variety of Reading Modes: Researching the Consumption/Reception of Media and Religion“. Journal for Religion, Film and Media (JRFM) 11, Nr. 1 (15. Mai 2025).
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This article outlines three methodological approaches to studying media consumption in the context of religion and media. The first centers on representation, with the researcher as primary recipient; the second focuses on reception, privileging the audience’s perspective; and the third examines consumption processes without centering on the media content itself. The conclusion highlights the limits of each approach, emphasizes the researcher’s responsibility, and calls for integrative methods that account for cultural context.
Podcast „Wieso nicht eine weibliche Jesus?“ (Host Reflab: Johanna Di Blasi)
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Film „The End of Humanity“ (Oliver Duerr, Jean Marc Furrer, CH 2024, , 57′)
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Hey AI? We need to talk
Interview Berner Fachhochschule News & Stories
‘What does it mean to be human in the age of AI?’ The interview on this question was conducted in the context of the Swiss Digital Days and the panel discussion about the film "The End of Humanity"(Biel/CH, 22 November 2024).
Comparison between the migration of men and women (Gender and Migration, IOM GMDAC 2021).
Article ‘Migration’, handbook Gender and Religion
This article examines the role that gender and religion play in migration processes. Migration should always be understood as a movement in two directions. The experiences of the people involved are at the centre of this. In studies on gender and religion, it proves useful to understand people and their actions within the cultural context; if the focus is only on the borders of nation states and their legal regulations, the actors are often left out. Examining how gender and religion are constructed within migration processes opens up important questions about inequality, resource distribution, dominance, and definitional hierarchies. It allows for a critical interrogation of who controls social definitions and offers a lens through which to analyze underlying structural dynamics.
Screenshot documentary „Iraqui Odyssey“ ( Samir, Irak/CH/DE/Arabische Emirate 2014, 145′)
Publikation of chapter „Documentary films as communication spaces for religious identities“
The chapter deals ‘with the documentary film as a mediatised space of communication in which religious and cultural identities are constructed and communicated in the context of migration. Marie-Therese Mäder and Monika Glavac analyse the negotiations of belonging on the basis of two documentary films in which filmmakers from Muslim countries who now live in Switzerland address their migration history. They use a multidimensional approach, consisting of semi-structured qualitative interviews with the directors, analysis of media reports and film reviews, to explore the communication spaces at both the production and representation levels. The authors are able to show that media play an essential role in the transformation of identities in the context of migration in a globalised world, as they expand and change media communication spaces as a means for communicative actors.’ (Anke Offerhaus, 2023, 18)
Blog post (13/09/23): Exploring weddings - Of picture stories and shared memories
Would you be prepared to show your wedding album to a stranger and share personal experiences, impressions and memories of the day with your husband or wife? Would you mind if the conversation was also recorded by a camera focussing on both you and your wedding pictures? ‘That's a lot to ask,’ you might be thinking. in 2022/ 23, 27 couples in Germany, Italy and Switzerland were willing to engage in such a conversation.
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