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Book Cover for: The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere, Judith Butler

The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere

Judith Butler

The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere represents a rare opportunity to experience a diverse group of preeminent philosophers confronting one pervasive contemporary concern: what role does--or should--religion play in our public lives? Reflecting on her recent work concerning state violence in Israel-Palestine, Judith Butler explores the potential of religious perspectives for renewing cultural and political criticism, while Jürgen Habermas, best known for his seminal conception of the public sphere, thinks through the ambiguous legacy of the concept of "the political" in contemporary theory. Charles Taylor argues for a radical redefinition of secularism, and Cornel West defends civil disobedience and emancipatory theology. Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen detail the immense contribution of these philosophers to contemporary social and political theory, and an afterword by Craig Calhoun places these attempts to reconceive the significance of both religion and the secular in the context of contemporary national and international politics.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Columbia University Press
  • Publish Date: Mar 2nd, 2011
  • Pages: 128
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.50in - 0.40in - 0.45lb
  • EAN: 9780231156462
  • Categories: Religion, Politics & StateComparative Religion

About the Author

Butler, Judith: - Judith Butler (PhD, Philosophy, Yale) is the Maxine Eliot Professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and
Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory (of which she was the Founding Director) at the University of California at Berkeley. Among her many works are Subjects of Desire: Hegelian Reflections in Twentieth-Century France (Columbia, 2012), Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (Columbia, 2012), Antigone's Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death (Columbia, 2002), and (with Jurgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West) The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere (Columbia, 2011).

Praise for this book

...topical and timely.-- "European Legacy"
The book as a whole is an enjoyable read that raises many questions from several perspectives. Each author takes a different stance, followed by a discussion section for their interactions and disputes.--Robin Alice Roth "ID: International Dialogue"
Very cogent and deftly argued.-- "Muslim World Book Review"