Zoe Alderton
| Zoe Alderton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zoe Alderton |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Australian |
| 💼 Occupation | Academic, Researcher |
| 👔 Employer | Western Sydney University, University of Sydney |
| Known for | Research on Snapewives, Fiction-Based Religion, Digital Communities |
Dr Zoe Alderton is an Australian academic and researcher known for her work in religion, fandom studies, and digital communities. She is currently a Learning Experience Designer at Western Sydney University The College and a Research Affiliate in Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney.[1]
Early Life and Education
Alderton earned her BA (Hons Class I) in 2008 and completed her PhD in 2012 at the University of Sydney.[2] Her academic background spans religion, sociology, writing studies, and economics. She has taught at institutions including the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, Australian Catholic University, and the University of New England.[2]
Academic Career
Alderton has published widely on topics including visual art, mental health, fandom ethics, and online communities. Her work often explores the intersection of aesthetics, belief, and digital culture. She is known for her contributions to curriculum design and academic communication, particularly in higher education innovation.[2]
Her notable publications include:
- Snapewives and Snapeism: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom (2014)[3]
- The Aesthetics of Self-Harm (2018)[4]
- Preventing Harmful Behaviour in Online Communities (2022)[5]
- Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels: Kate Moss and the Role of the Extraordinary Body in Cult Formation (2021)[6]
Snapewives and Fiction-Based Religion
Alderton is internationally recognised for her research on the Snapewives, a group of Harry Potter fans who developed a fiction-based religion centered on the character Severus Snape.[7] Her 2014 article in Religions was one of the first academic treatments of this phenomenon and has been cited in cultural commentary, podcasts, and reference platforms such as Wiktionary.
She has discussed Snapewives in interviews and podcasts, including:
Her work has been referenced in articles such as:
- Consider the Snapewife – Jezebel[10]
- Snapewives: A Tale of Modern Religious Figures – Pub Club Online[11]
Other Work
Alderton has also published on topics such as self-harm communities, fandom ethics, and the aesthetics of Colin McCahon. Her interdisciplinary approach combines religious studies, sociology, and digital humanities. She is the founder of Way of the Scholar, a platform for academic communication and student support.[2]
Books and Monographs
- Alderton, Zoe. The Aesthetics of Self-Harm. Routledge, 2018.[12]
- Alderton, Zoe. Preventing Harmful Behaviour in Online Communities. Routledge, 2022.[13]
Recognition and Public Engagement
- Speaker at the Australian Association for the Study of Religion conference (2023), presenting on the pro-ana movement and religious framing of suffering.
- Contributor to the Religious Studies Project.[14]
- Indexed in Google Scholar with 144 citations and an h-index of 7.[15]
- Listed in the AD Scientific Index.[16]
External links
Category:Australian academics Category:Australian women academics Category:Religion scholars Category:Fandom studies researchers Category:Living people Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:Western Sydney University staff
This article "Zoe Alderton" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Zoe Alderton. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "Way of the Scholar – About Dr Zoe". Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWayScholar - ↑ Alderton, Zoe (2014). "Snapewives and Snapeism: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom". Religions. 5 (1): 219–267. doi:10.3390/rel5010219.
- ↑ Alderton, Zoe (2018). The Aesthetics of Self-Harm: The Visual Rhetoric of Online Self-Harm Communities. Routledge. ISBN 9780367487799. Search this book on
- ↑ Alderton, Zoe (2022). Preventing Harmful Behaviour in Online Communities: Censorship and Interventions. Routledge. ISBN 9780367647407. Search this book on
- ↑ Alderton, Zoe (2021). "Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels". International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 12 (2).
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSnapewivesReligions - ↑ Stephen Bradford Long (2022). "Snapewives" (Podcast). Sacred Tension.
- ↑ "Zoe Alderton and the fiction-based religion Snapewives". Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ↑ Ashley Reese (8 October 2020). "Consider the Snapewife". Jezebel.
- ↑ Paige Bayliss (19 April 2024). "Snapewives: A Tale of Modern Religious Figures". Pub Club Online.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSelfHarmBook - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedOnlineCommunitiesBook - ↑ "Zoe Alderton". The Religious Studies Project.
- ↑ "Zoe Alderton – Google Scholar".
- ↑ "Zoe Alderton – AD Scientific Index".
