Race in a godless world : atheism, race, and civilization, 1850-1914 / Nathan G. Alexander.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alexander, Nathan G., author.

Series:

Secular studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Race awareness--History--19th century.

Race awareness.

Racism--History--19th century.

Racism.

Atheism--History--19th century.

Atheism.

Secularization--History--19th century.

Secularization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 290 pages) : illustrations (black and white), digital, PDF file(s)

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2019.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Is modern racism a product of secularisation and the decline of Christian universalism? The debate has raged for decades, but up to now, the actual racial views of historical atheists and freethinkers have never been subjected to a systematic analysis. This book sets out to correct the oversight. It centres on Britain and the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when popular atheist movements were emerging and scepticism about the truth of Christianity was becoming widespread. Covering racial and evolutionary science, imperialism, slavery and racial prejudice in theory and practice, it provides a much-needed account of the complex and sometimes contradictory ideas espoused by the transatlantic community of atheists and freethinkers.

Contents:

Were Adam and Eve our first parents? : Atheism and polygenesis

Brute men : race and society in evolution

A London Zulu : savagery and civilization

The wise men of the East : India, China, and Japan

The best friends the Negro ever had : African Americans and white atheists

The curse of race prejudice : rethinking race at the turn of the century.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (viewed on March 19, 2026).

ISBN:

1-5261-4239-2

1-5261-4238-4

OCLC:

1120740227