Race & Secularism in America

Vincent J. Lloyd’s 2016 work, Race and Secularism in America, is a groundbreaking book which analyzes one of the most important, yet hidden, forces working in our world today: secularism. Where previous works have examined the relation between religion and the state, or race and the state, Lloyd reveals how secularism shapes and manages both of these entities, and the effects are as drastic as they are invisible.

A few lines from the book that stayed with me:

“This is the voice muted and managed by the secular and postracial regime of America in 2011.” — on the King memorial and Barack Obama’s speech

“…we are interested in the processes by which race and religion are excluded or managed. We are interested in how these processes are intertwined.”

“Whiteness is secular, and the secular is white.”

“…the desire to stand outside religion and the desire to stand outside race are complementary delusions, for the seemingly outside is in fact the hegemonic.”

“Why has whiteness characterized not only the secular but also, all too often, critiques of the secular?”

You can download a sample of the first chapter here.

You can also watch a video I made on the subject: