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Podcast
MATTHEW ENGELKE [London School of Economics and Political Science]: Ethnography of the British Human
20 April 12
Duration: 16.52.
Matthew Engelke began by drawing attention to the LSE’s new Programme for the Study of Religion and Non-Religion, within the Department of Anthropology.
He reported on his study of the British Humanist Association (BHA) which involved what he described as “deep hanging out”. His background was as an Africanist, who had then conducted an anthropological study of evangelical Christians in the UK. For this latest study he had spent a lot of time at the headquarters of the BHA, and gone out with staff to various events and functions. He appreciated the access he had been given.
One aspect of the work which had been of particular interest was the range of rituals conducted by the BHA, and he had as part of the study undergone training himself as a celebrant. Ceremonies gave a particular window on the embodied practice of humanism in all sorts of detail. He showed pictures of funerals he had attended, and of naming rituals.
Other forms of explicit expression of humanism he had found included T-shirts and a tattoo.
He was interested by the terminology appropriated by humanists and whether they used terms comparable to those used by religion, eg faith. His survey within the BHA had shown that a very high proportion of those with university education had Oxbridge degrees. But it was very important, especially to the celebrants, that humanism was not seen just as an interest of the chattering classes.
One of the things which had surprised him was how strongly some humanists felt about avoiding any products perceived to have some connection with religion or superstition. He had encountered very hostile reaction to products associated with homeopathy, and unwillingness to consume halal meat.
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