Adam Possamai
Adam Possamai is a Belgian-Australian sociologist and novelist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the Deputy Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University, the International Secretary for the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and a Professor of Sociology. As of 2025, Possamai has authored 16 academic books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters in the field of sociology, along with 6 fiction novels. He is renowned internationally for his work on religion, popular culture, social theory, Australian Aboriginal Peoples, and Muslim laws.Possamai is a Past President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (2003-2005). He was the 2002-2007 co-editor of the Journal for the Academic Study of Religion (then known as the Australian Religion Studies Review) and is the former President of the sociology of religion section (RC22) of the International Sociological Association (2010-2014).
A sociologist of religion, his research has focused on the interrelation between migrants and New Religious Movements, the impact of consumer and popular culture on religion, contemporary Indigenous religions, Muslim communities in secular societies, and creative works with religious themes.
He is married to sociologist Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, and lives in the south-western suburbs of Sydney with his family. Provided by Wikipedia
Handbook of hyper-real religions /
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Today a new trend is clearly discernable, that of 'hyper-real religions'. These are innovative religions and spiritualities that mix elements of religious traditions with popular culture. If we imagine a spectrum of intensity of the merging of popular culture with religion, we might find, at one end, groups practicing Jediism appropriated from the Star Wars movies, Matrixism from the Matrix trilogy, and neo-pagan rites based on stories from The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. At the other end of the spectrum, members of mainstream religions, such as Christianity can be influenced or inspired by, for example, The Da Vinci Code . Through various case studies, this book studies the on- and off-line religious/spiritual consumption of these narratives through a social scientific approach.
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1 online resource (456 pages) :
9789004226944 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Muslims in Contemporary Australia /
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This edited book provides a much-needed update on the field of Islamic Studies in Australia, which has come a long way since the pioneering work of both Riaz Hassan and Gary Bouma to whom this volume is indebted. By highlighting the richness of the contributions of Muslim Australians in diverse areas such as art, literature, architecture and popular culture, alongside the more standard sociological contributions on the ongoing challenges, this book will inspire researchers to look beyond the hackneyed notions of conflict, difference and fear, and seek to tell stories that glimpse behind the curtain and give insight into the Australian Muslim 'backstage' experience.
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1 online resource (360 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004737372