Being Godless: Ethnographies of Atheism and Non-Religion (Studies in Social Analysis Book 1)

Drawing on ethnographic inquiry and the anthropological literature on doubt and atheism, this volume explores people's reluctance to pursue religion. The contributors capture the experiences of godless people and examine their perspectives on the role of religion in their personal and public lives. In doing so, the volume contributes to a critical understanding of the processes of disengagement from religion and reveals the challenges and paradoxes that godless people face. Contents Introduction. Godless People, Doubt, and Atheism Chapter 1 Ambivalent Atheist Identities: Power and Non-religious Culture in Contemporary Britain Chapter 2 Godless People and Dead Bodies: Materiality and the Morality of Atheist Materialism Chapter 3 Atheist Political Cultures in Independent Angola Chapter 4 Forget Dawkins: Notes toward an Ethnography of Religious Belief and Doubt Chapter 5 Antagonistic Insights: Evolving Soviet Atheist Critiques of Religion and Why They Matter for Anthropology Chapter 6 Confessional Anthropology Afterword: On Atheism and Non-Religion Index Being Godless -- Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 Ambivalent Atheist Identities -- Chapter 2 Godless People and Dead Bodies -- Chapter 3 Atheist Political Cultures in Independent Angola -- Chapter 4 Forget Dawkins -- Chapter 5 Antagonistic Insights -- Chapter 6 Confessional Anthropology -- Afterword -- Index