Mass Observers Making Meaning: Religion, Spirituality and Atheism in Late 20th-Century Britain (The Mass-Observation Critical Series)

By: James Hinton

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Synopsis: What do people believe about death and the afterlife? How do they negotiate the relationship between science and religion? Do forces they think of as supernatural affect their lives? And how do they account for apparently paranormal events or exceptional moments of sudden enlightenment?Using a fascinating wealth of Mass Observation volunteer writings, Mass Observers Making Meaning immerses us in what the big existential questions meant for people in late 20th-century Britain. The book captures the extraordinarily diverse landscape of belief and disbelief to be found in the country during the period, whilst considering the swift decline of the Christian churches since the 1960s, the growth of atheism, and the flourishing of alternative spiritualities in the process. Writing as a convinced atheist, historian James Hinton reflects on the varied Mass Observation writings in such a way as to make the case for empathetic listening; he convincingly argues for this as something that will enable society to move beyond the cacophony of conflicting beliefs to an understanding of our common need and ability to seek meaning in our lives moving forward.