Humanism, Whiteness, and its Racialized Others

This speaker participated in our 2019 Conference. Learn more about our 2023 conference speakers here.

Carnegie Mellon University

Friday, June 7
10:45am-11:45am

At its best, humanism is commitment to a creative process where norms are made, evaluated, implemented, sustained, and revised. This panel interrogates the phenomena of angry white men, and analyzes how humanism aids in norm-creation. Humanism does not mean an end to problems, nor does it promise escape from one’s social location, but in light of the negative impact of destructive norms like whiteness, and the creative power of naming racialized identity, this panel proposes that humanism provides significant guidance in how we go forward.

Christopher Driscoll

God May Not Exist, but What about the Devil Within?: White Masculinity, Emotional Regulation, and *Human* Self-Care

Christopher M. Driscoll is a Louisiana native, a rock climber, and a race traitor. He is currently assistant professor of Religion Studies, Africana Studies, and American Studies at Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, PA. Scholar of religion, race, and culture, his primary areas of interest include whiteness studies, existentialisms/humanisms, and hip hop culture. Driscoll is author of White Lies: Race & Uncertainty in the Twilight of American Religion (Routledge, 2015), coauthor (with Monica R. Miller) of Method as Identity: Manufacturing Distance in the Academic Study of Religion, and other writings.

Website: Shadesofwhite.org
Twitter: @whiteliesbook
Instagram: shadesofwhiteig

Jason Jeffries

Jason Jeffries biography is coming soon!

Sharon Welch

Can Humanism be the Social Norm?

Sharon Welch is Affiliate Faculty member at Meadville Lombard Theological School (Unitarian Universalist), after having served as Provost and Professor of Religion for ten years. She has held positions as Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri from 1991-2007. She was assistant and then associate professor of Theology and Religion and Society at Harvard Divinity School from 1982 to 1991. Welch is the author of six books, her most recent being After the Protests Are Heard: Enacting Civic Engagement and Social Transformation (NYU Press, 2019).