Who Counts as 'None

Ambivalent, Embodied, and Situational Modes of Nonreligiosity in Contemporary South Asia

Bibliographic Data

ID4314694
AuthorsJohannes Quack (0000-0001-7406-219X, University of Zurich, corresponding author), M Schulz (0000-0002-9053-5134, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue1
Pages126-139
Publication date2023-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2150-9298 • E-ISSN: 2150-9301
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3167/arrs.2023.070303
OpenAlexW4385656141
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited25

People in South Asia who neither believe in god(s) nor engage in religious practices nevertheless often self-identify as Muslims or Hindus rather than-or in addition to-identifying as atheists. The situational and contextual dynamics generating such positionings have implications for the conceptualization of nonreligion and secular lives. Based on ethnographic research in India and Bangladesh and focusing on two individuals, we attend to embodied and more ambivalent modes of nonreligiosity. This enables us to understand nonreligion as situated social practices and beyond what is typically captured with the term 'religion'. Studying nonreligion also where it is not visible as articulated conviction or identity not only contributes to accounting for the diversity of nonreligious configurations but also offers significant complementary insights

Historical Geography and Geographical Thought · Philippine History and Culture · Psychology · Urban Planning and Governance

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