Exploring trajectories of active atheist identity formation in Australia

Abstract

While the character and philosophies upheld by today's atheists have been well documented in the past (particularly in regard to the controversial 'New Atheist' movement), debate concerning the development of active atheist identity still appears to be in its infancy. What factors compel an individual, whether once content with their own religious beliefs, or apathetic towards the religious needs of others, to adopt an identity that not only rejects the religious norm, but in many cases, fights for atheist inspired perspectives to be recognised? While such questions have been addressed previously, research conducted so far has centred primarily on atheist identities developed within North America. This calls into question the universal legitimacy of previous findings, considering the evident differences in religious landscape between Australia and North America. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate not only the character and diversity of active atheism within Australia, but also trajectories of active atheist identity formation: To examine how and why individuals become active atheists. In addition to the general lack of sociological analysis conducted on Australia's irreligious landscape in general, such research provided an effective comparison to similar studies conducted in North America, ultimately addressing whether different religious landscapes produce differing irreligious character.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English