The Oxford Handbook of Humanism

While humanist sensibilities have played a formative role in the advancement of our species, critical attention to humanism as a field of study is a more recent development. As a system of thought that values human needs and experiences over supernatural concerns, humanism has gained greater attention amid the rapidly shifting demographics of religious communities, especially in Europe and North America. This outlook on the world has taken on global dimensions as well, with activists, artists, and thinkers forming a humanistic response not only to traditional religion, but to the pressing social and political issues of the 21st century.

With in-depth, scholarly chapters, The Oxford Handbook of Humanism aims to cover the subject by analyzing its history, its philosophical development, its influence on culture, and its engagement with social and political issues. In order to expand the field beyond more Western-focused works, the Handook discusses humanism as a worldwide phenomenon, with regional surveys that explore how the concept has developed in particular contexts. The Handbook also approaches humanism as both an opponent to traditional religion as well as a philosophy that some religions have explicitly adopted. By both synthesizing the field, and discussing how it continues to grow and develop, the Handbook promises to be a landmark volume, relevant to both humanism and the rapidly changing religious landscape.

Anthony B. Pinn is Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion at Rice University, where he is also the inaugural director of the Center for African and African American Studies as well as founding director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning. His
books include, Embodiment and the New Shape of Black Theological Thought (2010); The End of God-Talk: An African American Humanist Theology (2012); (co-edited with Katie Cannon) The Oxford Handbook of African American Theology (2014); Humanism: Essays in Race, Religion, and Cultural Production
(2015); and the novel The New Disciples (2015). Pinn is also director of Research for the Institute for Humanist Studies. His awards include the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association Humanist of the Year (2017), and the Harvard University Humanist Chaplaincy 'Humanist of the Year' (2006).

Introduction
Anthony B. Pinn

PART I: Geographies

1. Humanism in East Asia
Chun-chieh Huang

2. Humanism in Africa
D. A. Masolo

3. Humanism in the Middle East
Khurram Hussain

4. Humanism in the Americas
Carol Wayne White

5. Humanism in Europe
Stefan Schr?der

Part II: Intellectual Histories

6. Humanism in the Medieval World
John R. Shook

7. Humanism and the Renaissance
John Monfasani

8. Humanism and the Enlightenment
J. Brent Crosson

9. Humanism and the Modern Age
Corey D. B. Walker

Part III: Organization

10. Humanism Against Religion
David Kline

11. Humanism as a Religious Orientation?
William Hart

12. Humanism and Its Critics
Slavica Jakeli?

Part IV: Cultural Production

13. Humanism and Literature
Miriam Strube

14. Humanism and Film
Sheila J. Nayar

15. Humanism and Music
Christopher M. Driscoll

16. Humanism and Humor
David Feltmate

17. Humanism and the Visual Arts
J. Sage Elwell

18. Humanism and Sport
Eric Bain-Selbo

Part V: The Public Arena

19. The Politics of Humanism
Joseph O. Baker

20. Humanism and Political Identity
Juhem Navarro-Rivera

21. Humanism and Higher Education
Jeffrey J. Kripal

Part VI: Social Issues

22. Humanism and the Human
Joseph Winters

23. Humanism and Environmentalism
Dan McKanan

24. Humanism and Gender
Monica R. Miller

25. Humanism and Race
Christopher Cameron

26. Humanism, Sex, and Sexuality
Abby Hafer

27. Humanism and Class
Sikivu Hutchinson

Part VII: Private Life

28. The Practice of Humanism
James Croft

29. Humanism and the Conceptualization of Value and Well-Being
Philip Butler

30. Humanism and Aging
Peter Derkx and Hanne Laceulle

Part VIII: Future Prospects

31. The Changing Demographics of Humanism
Yazmin A. Garcia Trejo

32. Humanism and Technology
Cor van der Weele and Henk van den Belt

33. Can Humanism be the Social Norm?
Sharon D. Welch