Godless Polemics

Godless Polemics examines the role of pamphleteering as a medium for radical critique in the intellectual and cultural history of American atheism, focusing on its function as oppositional and counter-hegemonic discourse. It investigates how atheist pamphleteers, operating from the margins of public discourse, have challenged overt and covert religious influence on public and private life by producing and disseminating polemical texts that intervene in ongoing cultural, social and political debates. The author argues that atheist pamphleteers have historically functioned as both critics of religious authority and proponents of intersectional struggles against social, political, and cultural power structures. Drawing on Pierre-Héli Monot’s concept of the ‘pamphletary event’, the book examines how these texts did more than articulate atheist positions—they actively shaped public debates, contested dominant narratives, and introduced a tradition of radical anti-religious dissent into American progressivism. By analysing key pamphleteers from the nineteenth century to contemporary digital activists, this book redefines the role of pamphleteering in the history of unbelief in the United States, highlighting their vital role in introducing affirmative atheist ideas in emancipatory contexts. It will be of particular interest to scholars of religious studies and American studies.

Author Biography

Florian Zappe is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of English and American Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.