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Drawing Lines and Taking Sides: An Examination of Boundary Work among Oppositional Worldviews By Aislinn R. Addington Submitted to the graduate degree program in Sociology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Brian Donovan ________________________________ Kelly Chong ________________________________ Lynn Davidman ________________________________ David J. Ekerdt ________________________________ Alesha Doan Date Defended: October 21, 2015 ii The Dissertation Committee for Aislinn R. Addington certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Drawing Lines and Taking Sides: An Examination of Boundary Work among Oppositional Worldviews ________________________________ Chairperson Brian Donovan Date approved: October 21, 2015 iii ABSTRACT Christians and atheists have clashed publicly over ideological tensions throughout the history of the United States. Active atheists and evangelical Christians have, and continue to, vie for legitimacy and access to power, often at the expense of those with whom they disagree. This research investigates identity, boundary work, and the relationship to the “other” between and within these two oppositional ideologies. Findings demonstrate how, in a variety of situations and settings, these two groups not only “other” each other, but use their “other” to bolster their own ideological community. The presence of a group with an oppositional worldview allows each community to further define itself, and individuals within each group to define and refine their own identity within the group. The data for this research is made up of 45 interviews and multiple sessions of participant observation. After analyzing the data, four substantive areas emerged as prominent fields for boundary work within and between both groups: Boundaries and Solidarity, Boundaries and Morality, Boundaries and Gender, and Boundaries and Technology. This dissertation contributes to the sociology of boundaries and identity as those concepts are stretched and manipulated to explore the inner workings and “othering” mechanisms of active atheists and evangelical Christians. This research shows how boundaries and identity work together for members of rigid ideological groups, regardless of their specific worldview. While data on both groups offers novel observation and insight, this dissertation also provides desperately needed qualitative data on the distressingly understudied atheist population. iv ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the help and support of many people in both Kansas and Montana. First, a big thank you to Corinne Butler and Janelle Williams in the KU Sociology Department main office. Without them nothing would go as planned! Thank you to my committee: Alesha Doan, for taking the time to come over from Political Science, Lynn Davidman, especially for Skyping in during sabbatical, Kelly Chong – thank you for being on ALL of my KU committees! Dave Ekerdt, thank you not only for serving on my dissertation committee but thank you for the amazing opportunity to work as your research assistant. I learned so much from being part of your “Household Moves” project. You are an outstanding example of a public sociologist, a generous teacher and kind mentor. Thank you. Thank you to my advisor, Brian Donovan. You have been a patient coach and counselor through every step of this process. You simultaneously allowed me to find my own way while at the same time keeping me on track. And you were always there to remind me “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Thank you for all the time and energy you spent helping me get to this place. I cannot express how much I appreciate all that you have given me. A special thank you to Natalie Donovan, together Team Donovan helped me through all aspects of graduate school: academic, social, emotional, and everything in between. I would not have finished without Team Donovan’s encouragement. Thank you! I want to thank my family for their love and support. Thank you all for believing I could do this even when I didn’t. Thank you mom and dad for welcoming me back home while I finished v writing my dissertation. Thank you Tobin and Libby for all the “kids table Thanksgivings” and other pit stops throughout grad school. Tobin – thank you for all your editing. You would definitely win dissertation trivia! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction and Theoretical Framework ...................................................................... 1 Different Ideas, Similar Strategies .............................................................................................. 4 Atheist Scholarship Slowly on the Rise ...................................................................................... 8 Popular Media: New Atheism ................................................................................................... 10 Boundary Work ......................................................................................................................... 12 Identity ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Boundaries and Solidarity ......................................................................................................... 20 Boundaries and Morality ........................................................................................................... 22 Boundaries and Gender ............................................................................................................. 25 Boundaries and Technology ...................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 2: Historical Overview and Methods .............................................................................. 30 Evangelical Christianity in the 20th Century United States ....................................................... 30 Active Atheist History in the 20th Century United States ......................................................... 37 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Interview Recruitment ............................................................................................................... 43 Sample Demographics ............................................................................................................... 45 Consent/Confidentiality ............................................................................................................ 46 Interviews .................................................................................................................................. 47 Participant Observation ............................................................................................................. 48 vii Transcription ............................................................................................................................. 49 Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 3: Boundaries and Solidarity ........................................................................................... 52 Identifying and Positioning “Others” ........................................................................................ 53 Opposite Sides of the Street ...................................................................................................... 56 Challenges – everyday experiences ........................................................................................... 59 Pushes to Convert, or at least Change ....................................................................................... 61 Challenges at Work and School ................................................................................................ 65 Boundaries Within Christianity – Striving for Authenticity ..................................................... 67 Boundaries Within Christianity – Gender and Expression ....................................................... 72 Boundaries Within Atheism – Terms and Representations ...................................................... 77 Boundaries Within Atheism – To Evangelize or Not to Evangelize ......................................... 83 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 86 Chapter 4: Boundaries and Morality ............................................................................................. 89 Atheists Outside the Lines ......................................................................................................... 91 Boundaries and Self-Presentation ............................................................................................. 93 Perceptions of Atheist Morality in Motion ............................................................................... 96 Morality through Belief ........................................................................................................... 101 Proving a Moral Compass without God .................................................................................. 106 Christian Morality from the Atheist Perspective ....................................................................

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