Kiwi Hot

Kiwi Hot Pod

This podcast highlights the ongoing salience of the academic Study of Religion for understanding our every day world. Each episode examines one text of ‘smut’ to explore a major concept or theory in religious studies. This series is aimed for an educated public, with the intention of acting as a companion to undergraduate courses examining the intersection of religion, sex, sexuality, gender, bodies, and the erotic.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 2: What is Smut?

    On Lived Religion: Nancy Ammerman, “Lived Religion as an Emerging Field,” Nordic Journal of Religion and Society 29, no. 2 (2022) https://www.tf.uio.no/forskning/forskergrupper/levd-religion/arrangementer/2022/ammerman-2016.pdf.  On prototype theory: Kevin Schilbrack, "The Concept of Religion," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2022 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2022/entries/concept-religion.  On stigma of romance novels: Elizabeth Reid Boyd, “To the mattresses: a defence of romance fiction,” The Conversation, February 14, 2017, https://theconversation.com/to-the-mattresses-a-defence-of-romance-fiction-72587.  Molly Tullis, “The Power of Smut,” Freewriting Blog,  Sept 28, 2024. https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/the-power-of-smut-peeking-inside-the-internet-s-favorite-genre.  Discussion Questions: How would you define smut? Think about your definition. What is excluded from your definition? Is there anything included that others might not include? On the pod, we talked about the politics of definitions and categories. What writing counts as ‘high brow’ versus ‘low brow’? Who decides these things? What is the result of these social categorisations? We made the case that definitions actually tell us more about ourselves and society than they do about the definition itself. What do you think of when you think of ‘religion’? What does that tell you about your social position?

  2. Aug 14

    Episode 01: ACOTAR

    This podcast discusses A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), using the text as a case study for exploring how scholars of religion approach pop culture artifacts. Further Reading: Francis Stewart, “Editorial: Sharing a Research Approach within the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 38, no. 1 (2026). https://online.ucpress.edu/jrpc/article/38/1/1/217835/EditorialSharing-a-Research-Approach-within-the  Andrew M. Henry, “Why Fictional Religions Feel So Fake,” YouTube: Religion for Breakfast, Aug 23, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjrrUZeJMSo.  Discussion Questions: We discussed how the author’s religious background might influence her writing, as well as how the reader’s background plays a huge role in how a text lands. What parts of your religious background resonate (or are dissonant) with ACOTAR? One of the topics we did not get to discuss was the Children of the Blessed in ACOTAR. This group is peripheral to the book, but one of the only in-world religions among humans. The humans in ACOTAR largely have no religion, which is almost unheard of in our world. How does this disconnect between our world and ACOTAR help understand the role and place of religion in your culture? The Akedah—or the binding of Isaac—is one of the most studied passages in Abrahamic faiths. Read through the passage in Genesis and then in the Qur’an. How do these two tellings of the tale mirror, reflect, and refract the ending of ACOTAR where Feyre holds the dagger?

  3. Season 1 Trailer

    Episode 00

    Introducing a brand new podcast on the intersections of 'smut' and the academic study of religion!

Trailer

About

This podcast highlights the ongoing salience of the academic Study of Religion for understanding our every day world. Each episode examines one text of ‘smut’ to explore a major concept or theory in religious studies. This series is aimed for an educated public, with the intention of acting as a companion to undergraduate courses examining the intersection of religion, sex, sexuality, gender, bodies, and the erotic.

Information

  • Creator
    Kiwi Hot Pod
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kiwi Hot Pod
  • Show Website
    Kiwi Hot