'How Much Do I Want the Apocalypse to Happen and Just Wipe This All Clean?': The Use of Apocalyptic Narratives by Non-religious Youth
Although the ways in which young adults relate to their own futures has been studied at length, the question of how they perceive the long-term, societal future has received comparatively less attention. This article considers how young adults relate to the long-term, societal future with reference...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal for the academic study of religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 30, Issue: 1, Pages: 52-72 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Adult (18-35 Jahre)
/ Future
/ Unbeliever
/ Apocalypticism
/ Popular culture
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| IxTheo Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism NBQ Eschatology |
| Further subjects: | B
Young adults
B Apocalypse B DOCTRINAL theology B Religion B Future B Popular Culture B Youth B Time B Eschatology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Although the ways in which young adults relate to their own futures has been studied at length, the question of how they perceive the long-term, societal future has received comparatively less attention. This article considers how young adults relate to the long-term, societal future with reference to the concept of apocalypse. It draws on an analysis of 28 interviews in which religious and non-religious young adults were asked to discuss their perceptions of the long-term future. By comparing the eschatological depictions cited by religious respondents to the wider sample's views of the future, the findings of this study highlight the presence of a secular apocalyptic narrative. Moreover, while many of the non-religious respondents' understandings of apocalypse were derived from popular culture, this narrative was utilised in ways that extended beyond entertainment-based functions, and could be used to provide insight into the ways in which they related to the societal future. |
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| ISSN: | 2047-7058 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the academic study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1558/jasr.31628 |
