Karaoke, Imitatio Prominentis, and Imitatio Dei

This article investigates the relation between the religious concept imitatio dei and the popular cultural phenomenon, karaoke, which is extremely popular all around the world but, in particular, in Asia. Imitatio dei, the imitation of divinity, can be linked to karaoke by tracing both phenomena back to a philosophic-anthropological feature: imitatio prominentis, the imitation of outstanding persons. According to research findings in comparative religion, imitatio dei, the imitation of god(s) in cultic-religious contexts, is found in several religious rituals in diverse cultures—for example, in transition rituals such as birth, initiation, marriage, and funeral rituals. It can be inferred that imitatio dei is a sub-phenomenon of imitatio prominentis, the imitation of outstanding beings or persons. It can be shown that imitatio prominentis is a philosophic-anthropological datum or a part of human nature. Karaoke must be rendered as a popular cultural manifestation of imitatio prominentis. The investigation takes a transdisciplinary-synthetic approach interweaving research findings from cultural critique, cultural studies, art theory, philosophical anthropology, and comparative religious studies.