The Stickiness of Non-Religion? Intergenerational Transmission and the Formation of Non-Religious Identities in Childhood

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Stickiness of Non-Religion?

T2 - Intergenerational Transmission and the Formation of Non-Religious Identities in Childhood

AU - Strhan, Anna Harriet Block

AU - Shillitoe, Rachael Marie

N1 - © 2019, SAGE Publications. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - The rapid rise of those identifying as ‘non-religious’ across many countries has prompted growing interest in the ‘religious nones’. A now burgeoning literature has emerged, challenging the idea that ‘non-religion’ is the mere absence of religion and exploring the substantive beliefs, practices and identities that are associated with so-called unbelief. Yet we know little about the micro-processes through which this cultural shift towards non-religion is taking place. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study, this article examines how, when, where, and with whom children learn to be non-religious, and considers the different factors that are implicated in the formation of non-religious identities. While research on religious transmission has demonstrated the importance of the family, our multi-sited approach reveals the important role also played by both school context and children’s own reflections in shaping their formation as non-religious, suggesting a complex pattern of how non-religious socialization is occurring in Britain today.

AB - The rapid rise of those identifying as ‘non-religious’ across many countries has prompted growing interest in the ‘religious nones’. A now burgeoning literature has emerged, challenging the idea that ‘non-religion’ is the mere absence of religion and exploring the substantive beliefs, practices and identities that are associated with so-called unbelief. Yet we know little about the micro-processes through which this cultural shift towards non-religion is taking place. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study, this article examines how, when, where, and with whom children learn to be non-religious, and considers the different factors that are implicated in the formation of non-religious identities. While research on religious transmission has demonstrated the importance of the family, our multi-sited approach reveals the important role also played by both school context and children’s own reflections in shaping their formation as non-religious, suggesting a complex pattern of how non-religious socialization is occurring in Britain today.

KW - Childhood

KW - Non-Religion

KW - Secular

KW - Socialization

KW - Transmission

KW - Non-Religious Childhood

KW - Non-Religious Children

KW - Atheist Children

KW - Agnostic Children

KW - Non-Religious Parents

KW - non-religious children

KW - non-religion

KW - childhood

KW - non-religious parents

KW - atheist children

KW - transmission

KW - secular

KW - non-religious childhood

KW - agnostic children

KW - socialization

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068348671&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0038038519855307

DO - 10.1177/0038038519855307

M3 - Article

SN - 0038-0385

VL - 53

SP - 1094

EP - 1110

JO - Sociology

JF - Sociology

IS - 6

ER -