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Paper Short Abstract:

In this paper, I explore how atheists make visible their atheist identities and differentiate them from other forms of critique in circulation, such as Islamophobic content by right-win Hindu nationalism. Focussing on Ex-Muslims, I argue that 'dark' humour becomes a site of atheistic subjectivities.

Paper Abstract:

In my research with atheists in northern India, references to various relations were commonplace to reflect upon the encounters with religion. On the one hand, personal relations put an ethical burden on atheists for questioning or not following the normative religious framework. On the other hand, the digital spaces exclusively for atheists facilitate new relations. I explored the reconfigurations of these two sets of relations with respect to non-religious identities through everyday media sharing. 'Dark' humour, such as blasphemous visuals or comments, constitutes a significant part of the circulating media in online atheist space. While sharing or reacting to such humour becomes a performance of atheism in online spaces, circulation is carefully restricted from personal relations(Example: through privacy settings). In contemporary India, Islamophobic 'dark' or 'dank' humourous content brings out an unexpected overlap between atheistic visuals and right-wing Hindu Nationalism. Throughout my fieldwork, I met with various Ex-Muslim content creators as well as followers, who find themselves in tricky positions while sharing their critique of Islam. Here, the non-religious or atheist identities become subject to certain expectations from both ends (atheistic and religious). In this paper, I explore how atheists navigate this contention and the approaches they take to make visible atheist identities and differentiate them from other forms of critique in circulation. Focussing on Ex-Muslims, a minority within a minority, I argue that blasphemous humour becomes a site of differentiation and reveals atheistic subjectivities.