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Godless Polemics examines the role of pamphleteering as a medium for radical critique in the intellectual and cultural history of American atheism, focusing on its function as oppositional and counter-hegemonic discourse. It investigates how atheist pamphleteers, operating from the margins of public discourse, have challenged overt and covert religious influence on public and private life by producing and disseminating polemical texts that intervene in ongoing cultural, social, and political debates. The author argues that atheist pamphleteers have historically functioned as both critics of religious authority and proponents of intersectional struggles against social, political, and cultural power structures. Drawing on Pierre-Héli Monot’s concept of the “pamphletary event,” the book examines how these texts did more than articulate atheist positions—they actively shaped public debates, contested dominant narratives, and introduced a tradition of radical anti-religious dissent into American progressivism. By analyzing key pamphleteers from the nineteenth century to contemporary digital activists, this book redefines the role of pamphleteering in the history of unbelief in the United States, highlighting its vital role in introducing affirmative atheist ideas in emancipatory contexts. It will be of particular interest to scholars of religious studies and American studies. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
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Keywords
- anti-clerical discourse
- critical secular studies
- cultural dissent theory
- intersectional activism
- pamphletary intervention
- progressive social movements
- radical atheist public debate
- thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DS Literature: history and criticism::DSB Literary studies: general
- thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTM Regional / International studies
- thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas
- thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs::QRA Religion: general::QRAB Philosophy of religion
- thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs::QRA Religion: general::QRAM Religious issues and debates::QRAM2 Religion and politics
- thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs::QRA Religion: general::QRAX History of religion
- thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs::QRY Alternative belief systems::QRYA Humanist and secular alternatives to religion::QRYA5 Agnosticism and atheism
Links
DOI: 10.4324/9781003678144Editions