PhD thesis defence Stefan Binder about social activism in atheist movement in South India

Date: 19 April 2017, 10:30h. 
Location: Senaatszaal, University Hall, Domplein 29, Utrecht.

The dissertation of Stefan Binder MA (Religious Studies) is an anthropological study of an organised atheist movement in the two South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

This movement consists of groups and individuals who self-identify as atheists, rationalists, or humanists and engage in various forms of public activism aiming at the reconstruction of an equal, just, and rational society by practically realising atheism as a comprehensive and constructive way of life. Atheists tend to conceptualise these endeavours of practical implementation and social reconstruction as being premised on a complete ‘mental revolution’ (Telugu: bhavaviplavam) in oneself and others.

The main analytical focus of this dissertation lies not only on the relationship between concepts and practices but also on how atheists themselves conceptualise this relationship. The data for this study were collected in thirteen months of ethnographic research in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (participant observation, semi-structured qualitative interviews, informal conversations) as well as systematic analyses of the literature published mostly in Telugu by members and associates of the movement.