Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a resurgence in publications, both in English and in French, criticizing established religions while exploring the issue of atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, unbelief and free thought. If atheism has been a current of thought since antiquity, and if this concept expanded substantially in the 19th century with the many proclamations of "the death of God," contemporary Western society has seen important developments in anti-religious or atheist reasoning, partly motivated by the imposing return of religious discourse in the public sphere. This seminar seeks to explore this new corpus of texts written in French by philosophers, essayists, novelists, scientists, and journalists. The two main objectives of our inquiry will be to first study the discourses (literary and philosophical) that contribute to issues related to belief and unbelief, and then to explore the ways in which these discourses function in the world of ideas. The great diversity of atheist thought will lead us to consider atheism as an "art of thinking against." This counter-thought is expressed in different ways: through conviction, openness, struggle, etc. Using a wide variety of narrative texts and essays, we will study the construction of argumentative discourses and the effects of these discourses on the reader. The first part of the seminar will be devoted to developing a historical perspective; the second part will focus on philosophical texts and essays; and the third part will deal with novels and autobiographical writings. We will be particularly attentive to recent fiction renewing the utopian or dystopian novel and reveal new conflicts between religions and civil society, or between religious culture and secularism. Our methodology will include the use of history and of the history of ideas, of philosophy, of ethics and of various literary theories (narratology, sociocriticism). By historicizing atheism and by building bridges with other periods and cultures, we will foster a broad conception of literary studies in order to better analyze this important 21st-century phenomenon.

Students from other graduate programs may submit assignments in English with approval of the instructor.