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August 22, 02012
My essay “Defining the Jedi Order” was just published in the Scarecrow Publishing anthology Sex, Politics, and Religion in Star Wars . In a nutshell, my essay discusses how George Lucas and his backstory of the Jedi Order in Episodes I - III has influenced (and not influenced) the public’s perception of Star Wars . It is one of over 20 essays written on popular culture topics that range from film criticism to ethical philosophy to politics and sex.
The original inspiration for this essay came from a chapter in my monograph about lightsaber fighting. Doug Brode, the anthology’s co-editor, wanted to use the chapter in a class he was teaching at Syracuse University. When he finished, Professor Brode decided that there was plenty of interest in a collection of academic essays on Star Wars . So he contacted me, as well as other writers and academics, to contribute to what would eventually become a two-volume collection of essays that is now available from