A Qualitative Study of Black Atheists


Book Description

A Qualitative Study of Black Atheists: "Don’t Tell Me You’re One of Those" is an interdisciplinary examination of a group that is rarely the study of inquiry, Black Atheists. Using in-depth, qualitative interviews, Daniel Swann builds a foundation for understanding Black Atheist identities, how Black Atheists conceive of themselves, how they perceive, internalize, and manage stigma, how they view in-group belonging, and how they understand their experiences as Atheists to be racialized. The author argues these unique circumstances have produced a distinctive identity at this particular intersection of race and religion.




Goodbye Religion


Book Description

"Through careful analysis of the best empirical data, this book helps make sense of one of the most important questions regarding social change in the United States in recent decades-how and why are so many people leaving religion, and what does (and will) this mean for American society"--




Performing Atheist Selves in Digital Publics


Book Description

This book considers how the non-religious self is performed publicly online, and how digital culture and technology shapes this process. Building on a YouTube case study with women vloggers, it presents unique empirical data on non-organized atheism in the United States. Lundmark suggests that the atheist self as performed online exists in tension between a perception of atheism as sinful and amoral in relation to hegemonical Christianity in the U.S., and the hyperrational, male-centered discourse that has characterized the atheist movement. She argues that women atheist vloggers co-effect third spaces of emotive resonance that enable a precarious counterpublicness of performing atheist visibility. The volume offers a valuable contribution to the discussion of how the public, the private, and areas in-between are understood within digital religion, and opens up new space for engaging with the increased visibility of atheist identity in a mediatized society.




Psychology of Black Womanhood


Book Description

Psychology of Black Womanhood is the first textbook to provide an authoritative, jargon-free, affordable, and holistic exploration of the sociohistorical and psychological experiences of Black girls and women in the United States, while discussing the intersection of their identities. The authors include research on young, middle-aged, and maturing women; LGBTQ+ women and non-binary individuals; women with disabilities; and women across social classes. This textbook is firmly rooted in Black feminist, womanist, and psychological frameworks that incorporate literature from related disciplines, such as sociology, Black/African American studies, women’s studies, and public health. Psychology of Black Womanhood speaks to the psychological study of experiences of girls and women of African descent in the United States and their experiences in the context of identity development, education, religion, body image, physical and mental health, racialized gendered violence, sex and sexuality, work, relationships, aging, motherhood, and activism. This textbook has implications for practice in counseling, social work, health care, education, advocacy, and policy.




Black Lives Matter and the Image of God


Book Description

In Black Lives Matter and The Image of God: A Theo-Anthropological Study, the author argues that "God’s” future is inseparable from humane values that eschew white supremacy and other modes of self-deification in favor of ethics that cultivate life for all human beings.




Varieties of Atheism in Science


Book Description

Why study atheism among scientists? -- "Tried and found wanting" : how atheist scientists explain religious transitions -- "I am not like Richard:" modernist atheist scientists -- Ties that bind : culturally religious atheists -- Spiritual atheist scientists -- What atheist scientists think about science -- How atheist scientists approach meaning and morality -- From rhetoric to reality : why religious believers should give atheist scientists a chance.




The Religion of White Supremacy in the United States


Book Description

On January 20th, 2009, the United States entered a new era in terms of race relations in the country. The hopes of many Americans were not to be fulfilled and many believe race relations are worse now. The reason is the legacy of race is integral to the American nation. The Religion of White Supremacy in the United States traces this legacy to show how race is defined by more than beliefs or acts of injustice. What this book reveals is that white supremacy is a religion in the United States. This book is a theo-historical account of race in the United States that argues that white supremacy functions through the Protestant Christian tradition. The Religion of White Supremacy in the United States is an interdisciplinary work of Critical Whiteness Studies, American History, and Theology to build a narrative in which the religion of white supremacy dominates U.S. culture and society. In this way, the racial tensions during the Obama era become sensible and inevitable in a nation that finds ultimacy in white supremacy.




The Cross of Christ in African American Christian Religious Experience


Book Description

In The Cross of Christ in African American Christian Religious Experience: Piety, Politics, and Protest Demetrius K. Williams examines and explores the ideational importance and rhetorical function of cross language and terminology in the spirituals, conversion narratives, and Black preaching tradition through an ideological lens.




The Habits of Race and Faith in a Religiously Diverse World


Book Description

Religious diversity, cultural pluralism, and interreligious encounter are widely viewed in modern life as socially—and for many people of faith, spiritually—enriching. One of the most significant but frequently overlooked benefits of interreligious encounter is that it empowers us to see ourselves, and particularly our racialized identities, in new and revealing ways. In The Habits of Race and Faith in a Religiously Diverse World, Mara Brecht places whiteness under particular scrutiny—its tangled and entwined relationship with religious identity, as well as strategic associations with dominance and privilege. The analysis of whiteness gives way to fresh perspectives on Christian ideas about salvation, both in connection to religious faith and racial embodiment.




W. E. B. Du Bois and the Sociology of the Black Church and Religion, 1897–1914


Book Description

W. E. B. Du Bois is the founding figure of the sociological study of the Black Church. His discussion of the six functions of Philadelphia’s Black Church in The Philadelphia Negro (1899) represented an early example of a “functional analysis” of a religious group. In The Negro Church (1903), he integrated the findings from religious census data, denominational statistics, small area surveys, ethnographic fieldwork, and historical studies to paint a picture of the vibrant role the Black Church played in the African American community. Du Bois discusses the Black Church in three of the essays included in The Souls of Black Folk (1903), other sociological essays and several Atlanta University Conference annual reports. Additionally, Du Bois’ perspective on the Black Church and the role of religion in the African American community can be gleaned from various poetic works, prayers, and editorials. W.E.B. Du Bois and the Sociological Study of the Black Church and Religion, 1897–1914 showcases a representative sample of classic studies on the Black Church and religion by a pioneer of American sociology.