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Living Without God: Female Atheists and Stigma Management in the South of the United States

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Living Without God: Female Atheists and Stigma Management in the South of the United States University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Sociology Sociology 2015 LIVING WITHOUT GOD: FEMALE ATHEISTS AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES Jamie L. Pond University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Pond, Jamie L., "LIVING WITHOUT GOD: FEMALE ATHEISTS AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Sociology. 25. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/sociology_etds/25 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Sociology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Sociology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Jamie L. Pond, Student Dr. Shaunna Scott, Major Professor Dr. Ana Liberato, Director of Graduate Studies LIVING WITHOUT GOD: FEMALE ATHEISTS AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES __________________________________________ DISSERTATION __________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Jamie Pond Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Shaunna Scott, Professor of Sociology Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © Jamie Pond 2015 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION LIVING WITHOUT GOD: FEMALE ATHEISTS AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES This study focuses upon the experiences and perceptions of women Atheists in the Southern U.S., a region which is highly religious and, therefore, has comparatively low numbers of Atheists. Taking a Symbolic Interactionist approach, I examine how these Southern Atheists understood what it means to be an “Atheist,” how they became Atheist, their strategies to manage their stigmatized identity as Atheists, and finally the role gender has in managing this stigma. I utilize a Feminist methodology to investigate and foreground women’s experiences. I conducted participant observation at 23 Atheist and Humanist meetings in two southern cities in two different states; I also interviewed 51 Atheists, 40 female and 11 male. I found a variety of definitions for Atheism, though all participants agreed that they do not believe in god. This identity is also informed by political ideologies and philosophies that cultivate pro-social behavior. Participants also discussed what they perceived to be the best things about what it means to be an Atheist. I also examined the stages by which Atheists come to this identification especially as this relates to the importance of place and their experiences in educational, religious and family institutions and how these affected their decisions to self-identify as Atheist. Additionally, I investigated how Atheists undergo stigma management (and negative interactions) by selectively concealing their identity, which they based on what they believed others assumed about Atheists. Many strategies were used to assuage feelings of being uncomfortable. As a stigmatized group, they discuss the importance of community and social support. In addition, Atheists saw several parallels between their experiences and the LGBT community such as similar language and face prejudice and discrimination, even though they said that the Atheists can more easily “pass.” Atheist women manage their stigma by utilizing various tactics to avoid hurting the feelings of others. Female Atheists walk a fine line between being masculine and assertive when they identify as masculine and caring about the feelings of others. Participants also discussed the role gender plays in self-identifying as Atheist. Lastly, they explained that it is harder to be woman and an Atheist. KEYWORDS: Atheism, Gender, Religion, Stigma, Stigma Management Jamie Pond___________________ October 12, 2015_______________ LIVING WITHOUT GOD: FEMALE ATHEISTS AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES By Jamie Pond ___Shaunna Scott, Ph. D.________ Director of Dissertation ___Ana Liberato, Ph. D. _________ Director of Graduate Studies _______October 12, 2015________ I would like to dedicate this dissertation to all of those who have been my support system. First and foremost, my husband has been the most understanding and supportive person. He has listened to me gripe about transcription, he has watched our daughter while I attended meetings and conducted interviews, and he has given me space to work in his office. Secondly, I would like to dedicate this to my lovely daughter. May you grow up to be stronger than me, twice as bold, and as someone who questions the world around you. As I tell you every day, you are my favorite person and I love you more than you will ever know. Next, I would like to thank my other family members for your encouragement throughout the years. You always instilled in me to get an education and challenge myself and I am very grateful for you. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank my ever-understanding and tremendously knowledgeable committee led by my chair Dr. Shaunna Scott. You have been so supportive and I could not have asked for a better advisor. Thank you Dr. Edward Morris for being my cheerleader. Ever since our independent study, you have pushed me to be more confident in my work and ideas and I am very appreciative for all your support. Thank you Dr. Ana Liberato and Dr. Beth Goldstein for being willing to discuss and brainstorm as well as challenge me. I would like to thank all of my participants. Your stories, experiences, and your take on the world around you are the backbone of this dissertation and without your involvement and willingness to sit down with me, it would not exist and for that I am very grateful. In addition, your stories and your worldview give me hope that tomorrow will be better than today. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….i Approval Page…………………………………………………………………………….ii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………....iii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………....iv List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………..vi Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………...………………1 Being Atheist in America…………………………………...….………………….1 Research Questions………………………………………………………………..8 What is an Atheist? ……………………………………………………………….9 Chapter Two: Theoretical Approach and Methodology…………………………………12 Theoretical Approach ……………………………………………………………12 Importance of Language and Labels……………………………………..13 Goffman and Self-Presentation ………………………………………….15 Identity……………………………………………………………...........17 Stigma……………………………………………………………………18 Community………………………………………………………………20 Stigmatization Management …………………………………………….21 Passing……………………………………………………………...........21 Atheism and Gender……………………………………………………..24 Research Design………………………………………………………………….31 Feminist Methodology…………………………………………………...31 Research Methods………………………………………………………..35 Context and Sampling Strategy………………………………………….38 Demographics of my Sample ………………………………………........42 Chapter Three: Defining Atheism………………………………………………………..46 Morality…………………………………………………………………………..53 What Informs the Atheist Identity? ……………………………………………...60 Other Ideologies? ………………………………………………………………..63 Importance of Science……………………………………………………………68 Best Things About Being Atheist ……………………………………………….69 Conclusion and Significance ……………………………………………………71 Chapter Four: Becoming Atheist………………………………………………………...72 Previous Research………………………………………………………………..73 Stage One: Starting Point ………………………………………………………..77 Stage Two: Asking Questions …………………………………………………...89 Stage Three: Rejecting Theism ………………………………………………….93 iv Overview of the Process of Becoming Atheist…………………………………..97 Importance of Place……………………………………………………………...98 Importance of Context…………………………………………………………...99 Chapter Five: The Stigmatization of Atheists…………………………………………..102 Stigma…………………………………………………………………………..103 Stigma Management……………………………………………………………107 Assumptions about Atheists…………………………………………………….109
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