From veganism to dinosaurs and religion: legitimizing the story of us or the creation of religious DNA

The Essay provides space for scholars to present peer-reviewed research in a manner that uses data studies and critical reflection as occasions for advancing currents in the broader academic study of religion. Jason Ellsworth analyzes vegetarianism and dinosaurs in pop culture to highlight the ways that humans construct categories to facilitate social relationships. While such constructions serve useful for legitimation and negotiation in cultural contests, they may be less useful in actually representing objects of study with the order of fidelity scholars claim to seek.