Humanism Essays on Race, Religion and Popular Culture

by Pinn, Anthony B.

• ISBN13: 9781472581426
• ISBN10: 1472581423
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-08-27
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Who are the "Nones"? What does humanism say about race, religion and popular culture? How do race, religion and popular culture inform and affect humanism?

The demographics of the United States are changing, marked most profoundly by the religiously unaffiliated, or what we have to come to call the "Nones". Spread across generations in the United States, this group encompasses a wide range of philosophical and ideological perspectives, from some in line with various forms of theism to those who are atheistic, and all sorts of combinations in between. Similar changes to demographics are taking place in Europe and elsewhere.

Humanism: Essays on Race, Religion and Popular Culture provides a much-needed humanities-based analysis and description of humanism in relation to these cultural markers. Whereas most existing analysis attempts to explain humanism through the natural and social sciences (the "what" of life), Anthony B. Pinn explores humanism in relation to "how" life is arranged, socialized, ritualized, and framed. This ground-breaking publication brings together old and new essays on a wide range of topics and themes, from the African-American experience, to the development of humanist churches, and the lyrics of Jay Z.

Author Biography

Anthony B. Pinn is Agnes Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, USA. He is Founding Director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL), and Director of Research at the Institute for Humanist Studies, Washington DC, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part 1: Race and Race-ing Humanism
1. Racializing Humanism - Two Types
2. African American Living Li(f)
3. The Challenge of Race: An Example
Part 2: Humanism on Religion
4. Nimrod is a Hero....and God is a Problem
5. Humanism and the Rethinking of a King
6. Putting Jesus in His Place
7. Secular Churches
Part 3: Charting Cultural Worlds
8. The Humans Behind the Art
9. Learning to Be Cool?
10. Making Due With What We Do
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index