Political Theologies of Early and Late Modernity

Undergraduate / Graduate

How has the entanglement of and contestation between ostensibly discrete domains - the political and the theological - been formulated? How distinct are these two concepts? How is the political - conceptualizations of the state, sovereignty, and founding (for instance) dependent on theological metaphors and concepts? Is the theological always political? How is political theology a distinctly modern problem? Is it a temptation to overcome or is it necessary to create affective bonds between citizens and the state? By way of thinkers such as Freud, Carl Schmitt, Leo Strauss, and Hannah Arendt, we will consider political theology as, among other things, critique (of religion and of liberalism), political strategy, and as a particular form of analysis. These modern accounts of political theology were developed by means of rich engagements with early modern thinkers. This class will do the same, reading selections from Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Spinoza to appreciate the contours and stakes of these differing formulations. By way of such investigations, this class aims to deepen understanding both of early modern thought and the modern preoccupation with political theology.