Global Sceptical Publics

Presented by the publisher as “the first major study of the significance of different media for the (re)production of non-religious publics and publicity,” the significance of Global Sceptical Publics: From Non-Religious Print Media to ‘Digital Atheism’ cannot be overstated. This pivotal volume, as Joseph Blankholm wisely points out in thefforeword, “begins a subfield; it does not summarize one” (xvi). By meticulously delineating the contours of “an emerging terrain for which there is, as yet, no map” (xvi), the volume  details how religious sceptics, doubters, and atheists engage with various media as potent tools for communication and the establishment of non-religious publics. Edited by Jacob Copeman and Mascha Schulz, the volume comprises chapters from a diverse array of scholars—from anthropologists to religious studies scholars, and from theologians  to media studies researchers.

As the volume unfolds, the concept of “non-religion” emerges in various political, media, and aesthetic practices and representations. At the same time, the book also highlights—and this is a very crucial point—how “various media produce different ways of circulating and mediating discourses for specific audiences” (4). Equally crucial is the recognition of the intricate interconnectedness between these mediated discourses and the specificities of different media, which allows one to fully recognize the materiality of non-religion, understood not as an absence or as neutral ground, but as something that “is produced and made tangible and socially significant in different contexts” (6).

Breaking free from the limitations of the religious-secular binary and approaching the study of non-religious phenomena from a material angle, the volume thus stands as a seminal work, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted dynamics between media, non-religion, and the complexities of contemporary human experiences.

Aiming to achieve a more complex understanding of non-religious stances and their interaction with the media sphere, the book pursues three main objectives. First, it delves into the relationship between non-religious perspectives and the properties and materiality of various media forms. Second, it analyzes the role of non-religious ideas and instances in the public sphere, examining their impact and influence. Third, it places a spotlight on the growing significance of digital atheism in contemporary society.

In addition to  Blankholm’s  foreword, the book also includes an introduction written  by the editors, an afterword by Johannes Quack, and thirteen essays organized into three distinct sections. In the first section, “Aesthetics and visual culture of non-religion,” the authors focus on different creative practices, ranging from theater to popular TV, and highlight the importance of specific genres for skeptical publicity. The chapters in “Mediated scepticism: historical and contemporary trajectories,” the second section, uses a diachronic approach to understand continuity and discontinuities in how different forms of media have influenced diverse skeptical audiences, shaping what is considered acceptable to express about religion. The final section, titled “Atheism and skepticism in a digital age,” centers on the potential and risks of engaging in digital spaces through various anonymous and public means.

In addition to the numerous innovative and captivating aspects already highlighted, the effort to infuse substance into the often superficial and vague label “global,” mentioned in the title, stands out. Despite the inevitable limits of a study encompassed in a single book, the various chapters admirably embrace a truly global perspective. This is achieved not only by exploring different and distinct realities and contexts across the world, but also—and most significantly for a study centered on media and publics—by delving into the intricate interconnectedness and networks underpinning these diverse cases.

Spanning a rich interdisciplinary landscape, the insightful chapters contained within this collection offer fresh insights. They demonstrate how the study of non-religion can fruitfully intertwine with concepts developed in the context of material religion. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of aesthetics and the impact of media to grasp the mediated, material, and affective basis of non-religion, adding substantial momentum to the flourishing field of nonreligion studies. The volume is thus well suited and recommended to both scholars and students engaged in the scientific study of (non-)religion, as well as researchers in media and cultural fields.

Ilaria Biano is an independent scholar.

Ilaria Biano

Date Of Review:

August 24, 2023