Atheist Awakening: Secular Activism and Community in America - Hardcover

Cimino, Richard; Smith, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199986320 ISBN 13: 9780199986323

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Surveys over the last twenty years have seen an ever-growing number of Americans disclaim religious affiliations and instead check the "none" box. In the first sociological exploration of organized secularism in America, Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith show how one segment of these "nones" have created a new, cohesive atheist identity through activism and the creation of communities.

According to Cimino and Smith, the new upsurge of atheists is a reaction to the revival of religious fervor in American politics since 1980. Feeling overlooked and underrepresented in the public sphere, atheists have employed a wide variety of strategies-some evangelical, some based on identity politics-to defend and assert themselves against their ideological opponents. These strategies include building and maintaining communities, despite the absence of the kinds of shared rituals, texts, and laws that help to sustain organized religions.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with self-identified atheist, secularist, and humanist leaders and activists, as well as extensive observations and analysis of secular gatherings and media, Cimino and Smith illustrate how atheists organize and align themselves toward common goals, and how media-particularly web-based media-have proven invaluable in connecting atheists to one another and in creating a powerful virtual community. Cimino and Smith suggest that secularists rely not only on the Internet for community-building, but on their own new forms of ritual.

This groundbreaking study will be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the growing atheist movement in America.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Cimino is founding editor of Religion Watch, a monthly publication reporting on trends and research in contemporary religion. He currently teaches sociology at the University of Richmond in Virginia and is the author of several books on religion, including The Most Scientific Religion, Trusting the Spirit, and co-author of Shopping for Faith.

Christopher Smith is an independent researcher. His areas of interest include secularism and social theory. He holds an M.A. in Sociology from the New School for Social Research.

Review

"Atheist Awakening provides an intriguing take on the look and practices of secularists in the United States by highlighting one of the most aggressively debated issues within the humanist/atheist movement: community...[T]he book makes an important contribution to studies on humanism, atheism, and secularism in the United States."--The Journal of Religion

"Atheist Awakening provides a thorough analysis for stimulating growth in secular organizations and mobilizing online and offline grassroots activism in the 21st century. I applaud Cimino and Smith for articulating what others have not-that understanding contemporary secularism cannot be done independent of America's unique religious culture...the book is an excellent read and makes a significant contribution to several bodies of sociological literature, including nonreligious studies, religion, deviance, culture, and social movements."--Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"This book fills an important gap in the literature by examining atheism/secularism as a social movement. Although the focus is on the last three decades, the authors provide ample historical context so often missing from sociological analysis. Two themes that recut throughout the book are the interdependence between the atheist and evangelical Christian movements in America and the tension within atheist movement between those who seek to accommodate and those who seek to confront. By exploring how these themes manifest themselves in various stages of the movement, the authors illuminate both continuity and change from the past...This is careful scholarship..."--Journal of Church and State

"Like many of my colleagues, I have long been impressed - and influenced - by Cimino and Smith's pioneering research on contemporary American unbelief. But Atheist Awakening goes beyond even what I might have hoped for. This meticulous, innovative, and engaging book is essential for understanding the New Atheism within its wider social, cultural, and political contexts."--Stephen Bullivant, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, St Mary's University, Twickenham

"Scholars are just beginning to explore secularist, humanist, atheist, and free thought activism as a coherent social movement. At the forefront of that research are Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith. In Atheist Awakening, Cimino and Smith continue their previous work with new qualitative and quantitative data to provide a nuanced picture of this nascent social movement. Scholars interested in studying this movement should familiarize themselves with Cimino and Smith's influential body of work." --Ryan Cragun, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Tampa

"This insightful and comprehensive study of how secularists are attempting to form a collective identity and build community in contemporary America is a fine piece of sociology. The authors show a real understanding of the political dilemmas and possibilities this new demographic faces. They also provide a valuable analysis of the ways the new media environment is driving this social phenomenon." --Barry A. Kosmin, Research Professor, Public Policy & Law Program, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

"This is an insightful exploration of the nature of secular communities in the 21st century... Highly recommended." --CHOICE

"This book fills an important gap in the literature by examining atheism/secularism as a social movement."-- Journal of Church and State

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0199986320
• ISBN 13: 9780199986323
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216