Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
3. Why Have Researchers Become Interested in Atheism?
Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
Stephen Bullivant [+]
St Mary’s University, UK
Stephen Bullivant is Professor of Theology and the Sociology of Religion at St Mary’s University, UK. His books include The Oxford Dictionary of Atheism (co-authored with
Lois Lee), The Oxford Handbook of Atheism, and The Cambridge History of Atheism (both co- edited with Michael Ruse).
Description
Up until fifteen years ago, atheism and related topics had received only scant, partial, and rare attention from social scientists. Now there’s a thriving community of researchers, a slew of books and articles, two dedicated journals, regular international conferences, and several five- and six-figure research projects. Why the sudden interest? And why the previous lack of interest? What changed, how, and when?