Secular Humanism and Atheism beyond Progressive Secularism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2245690 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R Cimino (0000-0003-2854-5558, New School), Chris Smith (0000-0002-1348-189X, New School) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 407-424 |
| Publication date | 2007-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociology of Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1069-4404 • E-ISSN: 1759-8818 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/socrel/68.4.407 |
| OpenAlex | W2319391585 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 61 |
| References cited | 5 |
The organized atheist and secular humanist movements have long operated under the premise of secularism progressing in American society. In the last two decades, however, progressive secularism has come under increasing criticism. This article examines how atheists and secular humanists—collectively, “freethinkers”—have responded to the failure of secularism to become a dominant force in the United States and how they have rethought their role and strategy from that of acting as the secular vanguard to assuming a subcultural identity and engaging in defensive competition in order to find a place in American society. They have done so by adopting three strategies: (1) creating a niche for secular humanism among the unchurched and “secular seekers”; (2) mimicking and adapting various aspects of evangelicalism, even as they target this movement as their main antagonist; and (3) making use of minority discourse and identity politics.
Atheism · Humanism · Political science · Politics · Secularism · Secularity · Sociology · Theology · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious Education and Schools · Religious studies
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| Unique citing works | 61 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,81 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2025 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 56 |