ABSTRACT
Phenomena of deprivatization and re-publicization in Europe do not only concern religion, but atheism, as well. This chapter describes how atheist associations become increasingly more vocal, especially on the internet. They create hypermediated religious spaces that frame atheism as charged by meanings and values, such as rationality, and form atheist communities that often mirror religious structures. It talks about the Italian association Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionalisti (UAAR, Union of Atheists and Agnostic Rationalists), which employs its blog to challenge the hegemonic position of the Vatican and the Pope in Italy. In particular, the UAAR criticizes Italian politics and media for being entangled with Catholicism and organizes alternative, non-religious rituals to gain visibility in the public sphere. The chapter also describes the French association Union des Familles Laïques (UFAL, Union of Secular Families), which discusses the concept of laïcité mainly in relation to Islam. By reflecting on the presence of religious symbols in private, public, and institutional spaces, the UFAL connotes laïcité as connected to human rights, and supports gender equality and freedom of expression. The two associations employ digital spaces to oppose the concept of Catholic secularism, thus contributing to religious change in Europe.
