Religion and Non-Religion among Australian Aboriginal Peoples

James L. Cox is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh and Adjunct Professor in the Religion and Society Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney. Adam Possamai is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Religion and Society Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney.

"This book presents a rich ethnographic insight into the changing world of Aboriginal society in Australia. It shows that Indigenous ways of life persist despite the blending of Indigenous beliefs with other religions such as Christianity and even Islam. This book will be a core text for everyone working on Indigenous religions today." – Bettina Schmidt, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK"In these highly original essays the authors describe how Australia is becoming a less Christian society, as a result of both the rise of non-Christian faiths and the less well known rise of 'non-religion', as individualism, self-autonomy and relativistic values strengthen among people to whom spirituality, of some kind, remains important. These trends are shaping twenty-first century Aboriginal culture and by making Aboriginal non-religion visible and comprehensible this volume makes a strikingly original contribution, not only to Australian studies, but to our understanding of Indigeneity as a global culture." – Tim Rowse, University of Western Sydney, Australia

• Part I: Setting the Context 1. Introduction: The Australian Census, Religious Diversity and Religious ‘Nones’ among Indigenous Australians James L. Cox and Adam Possamai 2. The Study of Religion and Non-religion in the Emerging Field of ‘Non-religion Studies’: Its Significance for Interpreting Australian Aboriginal Religions James L. Cox Part II: Non-religion among Aboriginal Peoples 3. Urban–Rural Geographies of Aboriginal Religious and Non-religious Identification Awais Piracha, Helena Onnudottir and Kevin Dunn 4. Going with the Flow: Indigenous Non-religion, not Atheism Alan Nixon Part III: Hybridity and Religion among Aboriginal Peoples 5. Altjira, Dream and God David Moore 6. The Strehlow–Hermannsburg/Ntaria Perplex: Translation in a Lutheran-Aboriginal Community Hart Cohen 7. New Songs and Old Songlines: Aboriginal Christianity and Post-mission Australia Steve Bevis 8. The Ties that Bind: The Importance of Religion and Community to the Non-religious Theresa Petray Part IV: Conclusion 9. Religion, Cultural Hybridity and Chains of Memory Adam Possamai and James L. Cox