Leaving religion as a decolonising project

Abstract: Māori nonreligion is rapidly increasing, surpassing national rates in Aotearoa New Zealand. Despite this, we know little about Māori nonreligion, and even less about Māori atheism – or indeed the processes contributing to Māori deconversion from Christianity. This seminar explores the contours of Māori atheism, detailing ways in which atheism is experienced and articulated within specifically Māori cultural locations. It draws upon 31 in-depth interviews, offering a rich empirical account of how and why some Māori have become or remain atheists. Our analysis gives weight to specific historical, cultural, and political contexts, indicating clear points of intersectionality between the history of colonisation, Christianisation, cultural revitalisation, Māori protest movements, and the emergence of Māori atheism in Aotearoa New Zealand. It shows that critiques and activist resistance to colonialism (including colonial religion) play a decisive role in Māori atheists’ accounts of their identity and non-belief: atheism is commonly construed as a decolonising project. It also identifies pluralism and exposure to higher education, particularly the social sciences, as influential causal factors. These findings have broad implications for the cross-cultural understanding of atheism and nonreligion.

Bio: Sara Rahmani is a lecturer in the study of religion. Her research focuses on atheism, nonreligion, and (de)conversion, explored in relation to Buddhist meditation movements and, more recently, within the Māori cultural context. Sara’s recent monograph, 'Drifting Through Samsara', examined patterns of conversion and deconversion from Goenka’s Vipassana movement in Aotearoa. She is currently co-authoring her second book, 'Māori Atheism as a Decolonising Project', with Prof. Peter Adds and Dr. Geoff Troughton. This talk will offer an overview of the main findings of her recent collaborative project, exploring the individual, sociocultural, and historical processes contributing to Māori deconversion.

Please join us in person or on Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82557132507