Joseph Blankholm

Joseph Blankholm is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). His research focuses on American Religion and Nonreligion, Secularism, Atheism, and Spirituality, blending sociological and anthropological approaches. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University and has conducted extensive fieldwork among secular Americans, leading to his award-winning book The Secular Paradox: On the Religiosity of the Not Religious (2022). Currently, he is authoring a book analyzing secular and spiritual traditions among nonreligious populations, supported by a $2.8M grant from the John Templeton Foundation. This research extends the Longitudinal Study of Generations initiated in 1970 by sociologist Vern Bengtson.

Blankholm has pioneered large-scale studies, including the 2021 survey of 12,370 organized nonbelievers in the U.S., and his work spans topics from virtual reality pedagogy to the legal status of secular organizations. He teaches courses such as 'Religion and Technology in Virtual Reality' and 'Metaphysical Spirituality.' His interdisciplinary expertise includes acting as an expert witness in civil/criminal cases involving religious definitions and defendants' backgrounds.

Key research areas include intergenerational spirituality, secular activism, and the intersection of secularism with LGBTQ+ identities. His recent work explores 'exclusive empiricism' among atheists and the role of mortality beliefs in nonreligious communities. Collaborative projects include studies on religiosity evolution in sexual minorities and the impact of nonprofit sector religiosity on secular women.

Notable publications include entries in Sociology of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and edited volumes on secular publics and global nonreligious movements. His work consistently bridges theoretical critique with empirical rigor, challenging conventional boundaries between the religious and secular.