The Meaning of Uncertainty: Navigating States of Certainty and Uncertainty in Nonreligious Narratives

• In Event: 1447 - Constructions of Identity: Religious and Secular

Abstract

Modernization narratives argue that identity formation in modernity is riddled with uncertainty and instability; certainty is cast as a much desired, but considerably scarce commodity, while states of uncertainty and fluidity are theorized as disorienting and anxiety-inducing. The nonreligious, a sort of bell-weather group for these late-modern secular forms of identity, offer an interesting case for exploring the empirical limits of this ideal-typed “modern” subject. Drawing on an analysis of identity narratives from 50 atheists, agnostics, and other nonreligious Americans, I find that nonreligious organizations and discourses promote both uncertainty and certainty, fostering a spectrum of active identifications and critical uncertainties. I argue that there is more identity certainty for the nonreligious than our theoretical narratives would predict, much of which is created by the politicization of identity by nonreligious organizations. I also show that uncertainty and liminality can be intentional nonreligious identity choices that lead to meaningful worldviews and social engagement. And I reveal how nonreligious individuals often fluctuate between states of certainty and uncertainty regarding their nonreligious identities, making it useful to distinguish between certainty and uncertainty as both potentially stable identity traits as well as transitional or liminal states.

Author

• Jacqui Frost, University of Minnesota