S01E37 - Godlessness in the Land of Gods: Pluralism in Hindu Atheism

This research article examines how atheism and religious decline manifest within the complex framework of Hinduism, specifically focusing on the Gujarati and Maharashtrian communities. The authors argue that secularization is not a uniform process but is heavily influenced by caste hierarchies, secular education, and exposure to Credibility Enhancing Displays (CREDs). While Gujaratis maintain high religiosity through time-intensive rituals that signal trustworthiness in trade, Maharashtrians show greater variance in belief due to a higher emphasis on academic schooling. Within the Maharashtrian context, the study identifies "fuzzy fidelity" among middle castes and active rejection of religion among lower castes as a form of resistance against social oppression. Ultimately, the source highlights that Hindu atheism is a pluralistic phenomenon shaped by the intersecting socio-economic realities of identity and community structure.Badiani, F. and Willard, A. (2026) ‘Godlessness in the Land of Gods: Unravelling Atheism in a Hindu Context’, Secularism and Nonreligion, 15(1), p. 10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/snr.236.