When your teachers tell you ‘religion is everywhere’, they’re not joking. While researching pop culture, I found religion in video games, literature, and films; from Terry Pratchett to Isaac Asimov, from Narnia to Pinocchio, once you see it, you cannot unsee it. And there is always more to find. Most recently, I found religion in a franchise you might not expect: Indiana Jones. That is what I am writing my master thesis about: religion, heritage and colonialism in the Indy films. Yes, even the fourth one- as a researcher, you have to make some sacrifices. Let me give you some insight into this process, and some tips on how to be creative in your research!

This idea started with something very small. I was watching Inferno and thought: Robert Langdon is supposed to adore heritage, but he goes around stealing Venetian masks and falling through museum ceilings, which is kind of weird, isn’t it? And then I thought, actually, there’s lots of characters in pop culture who do this. Lara Croft, for example, or Nathan Drake in Uncharted. Or, in fact, Indiana Jones, the father of all adventuring archeologists. But how does that work? Why do we find it heroic, when Indy runs out of a temple that he just permanently collapsed? Where did this all begin? Any fun research starts with asking questions you’re genuinely curious about.

Those questions led me down a deep rabbit hole that ended in a master’s thesis about how the Indiana Jones franchise incorporates religious heritage into a narrative based on colonialist assumptions, sometimes quietly and sometimes overtly so. If you want to be creative during your studies, rabbit holes are your best friend (though occasionally your sleep schedule’s worst enemy). One of my rabbit holes was the history of popular books about archaeology, another was postcolonial indigenous video games. I’ve learned an incredible amount of useless information, but the Eureka moments were worth all the times I had to rewatch Temple of Doom.

What if you get stuck? My biggest tip is to talk to people who have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about, as their passing remarks can be surprisingly helpful. Trying to explain my research to friends who have no idea has often helped me to refine my arguments, make them more accessible, or rethink my topic from a different perspective. Even if you are genuinely enthusiastic about the topic you’re writing about, you will of course still encounter difficulties. Personally, I usually have a phase when writing an essay where I get insecure about my topic and my writing style, and I feel like nothing I do is quite right. If you struggle with this as well, talking to others can, again, help with this - whether it’s an in-depth analysis with your study bestie or just quickly asking your partner, “am I an idiot?” Taking a step away, going for a walk, or working on other things before returning to your research is also a frequently given tip that really does work. If you have a looming deadline, however, you’ll just need to power through. In that case, remember the immortal words of Stephen Hopkins: “Five years ago, I looked at myself and said, 'the worst dissertation is the one I don't write', before proceeding to write the second worst dissertation.”

Kjelda Glimmerveen is a master's student at our Faculty.