Biblioblogging, 'Religion', and the Manufacturing of Catastrophe

Building on a previous analysis of 'biblioblogging' and its relationship to the mass media, this article looks at the ways in which 'bibliobloggers' handled the recent tragic events in Haiti. As is typically the case in the handling of US foreign policy, biblioblogging largely fell into line with the dominant positions in the mass media on the specific problems faced in Haiti which mask or deflect colonial/postcolonial interventions. Similarly, some bibliobloggers turned to the issue of theodicy with significantly vague concepts of 'religion' and 'God' being used to both (partially) explain suffering and deflect the more troubling narratives. Finally, some consideration is given to the ideological function of loving to hate the far right, with particular reference to the ways in which Pat Robertson's comments on Haiti were discussed by bibliobloggers.