University of Toronto Department of Political Science Department for the Study of Religion JPR 2057H /457H DEMOCRACY AND THE SECULAR SYLLABUS

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1 1 UniversityofToronto DepartmentofPoliticalScience DepartmentfortheStudyofReligion JPR2057H/457H DEMOCRACYANDTHESECULAR SYLLABUS FallTermWed.2 4:00 Instructor: ProfessorRuthMarshall Office: 300,JackmanHumanitiesBuilding,170St.GeorgeSt. Hours: Thurs.2 3:30orbyappointment THEMES: Thedramaticresurgenceofreligioninthepublicsphereandinpoliticaldiscourseand practicearoundtheglobedemandsacriticalreappraisaloftherelationshipbetweenthe religiousandthepolitical.theurgencyofthisinterrogationisunderscoredbythegrowing crisisindemocraticpoliticsandtheinabilityofliberalismtorespondtothechallengeofthe religious.thisseminarintheorywillexplorecontemporarydilemmasofdemocracy, sovereignty,community,justiceandviolencewithaviewtoacriticaltheoretical reappraisaloftherelationshipbetweendemocracyandthesecular;aninquiryintothe theologico political. Thetheologico politicalposesitselfasaquestion,whichboththedoctrineofsecularism andliberalpoliticaltheory,withitskantianheritage,hasobscured:thepersistenceofthe theologicalorthereligiousinthepolitical.engagingwiththequestionofthetheologicopoliticalentailsrethinkingthesecular allthewaydown :beyondcurrentdenunciationsof theideologicalorcoerciveaspectsofthesecularizationnarrative,itrequiresacritical engagementwiththeonto theologicalrootsofcontemporary secular politicalformsand concepts,anengagementbeyondtheantinomieswhichhaveconstitutedthe greatdivide betweenfaithandreason,transcendenceandimmanence.ifthereisanexusthatbindsthe theologicaltothepolitical,isthere,orshouldtherebe,awaytoseverit?howcanthe explorationofthisrelationshipenableusnotonlytoundertakeacritiqueofreligion,but alsoappreciatethewaysinwhichthereligiousortheologicalcancontributetoacritiqueof thepoliticsofourtime? Someofthespecificquestionswewillconsiderincludedemocracy'srelationshipto monotheisticideasofsalvation thesafe,sound,immune,holy andtheconnections betweenits secular conceptofsovereigntyandthemostsovereignsovereign,the AbrahamicGod.Issovereigntyalwaysinextricablefromonto theology,evenin democracies?howcanwerethinkdemocracy s perfectibility anditsrelationshiptoan ideaofjusticetocomebeyondthehistoricalfiguresofjudeo Christianmessianism?Can therebeathoughtofcommunitythatescapestheproblemofidentity,whichistosay,a

2 metaphysicsoforiginandincarnation?whatistherelationshipbetweenafinite,immanent lawandaninfinite,transcendentjustice?isthereawayinwhichwecanre groundethics andpoliticsinordertoavoidtheriskof theworst violence,ordoesdemocracyimplythe impossibilityofgroundandthenecessityofrisk? Recentworkincontinentalpoliticalphilosophyhasengagedwiththesequestions,reinterrogatingtheWesterntheoreticaltraditionfromdeconstructionist,leftpost Schmittian andpost Heideggerianperspectives,aswellasreconsiderationsofitsAbrahamicreligious heritage,includingaseriesofre readingsofst.paul.readingswillbedrawnfromthisbody ofcriticalthought. ThiscourseisjointlyofferedbytheDepartmentsofPoliticalScienceandStudyofReligion, andseekstocreateaninnovativespaceforcriticalinterdisciplinaryreflectionanddebate. REQUIREMENTS: Attendanceandactiveparticipationindiscussionisrequired. Anextrahourofdiscussionwillbescheduledaftereachweeklyseminarforthosewho wishtopursuediscussionbeyondthe2hourclass;thishourisoptionalandwillnotbe includedintheparticipationgrade. 1.5responsepaperstoreadings,2ppeach. Weight:25% Studentswillwriteacriticalreflectionbasedtheweek sreadingsintheirassignedweeks beginninginweek2.responsepapersmustbepostedonblackboardnolaterthannoonon thedaybeforeclassandaretobereadbyallclassmembersbeforepresentationand criticaldiscussion. 2.Participationindiscussion Weight:15% Studentsareexpectedtoattendeveryclasspreparedtocriticallydiscusstherequired readings,andtoparticipatefullyinthediscussionthroughbothattentivelisteningand speaking. 3.FinalPaper.20 25pp. Due:Dec.7 Weight:60% AtwopagepaperproposalisdueNovember3,includingathesisstatementororganizing question,anoutlineofyourargument,andabriefannotatedbibliographyofprimaryand secondarysources. LatepaperswillNOTbeaccepted. WEBSITE& TheBlackboardwebsitewillbeusedtopostthesyllabus,readings,responsepapers, discussions,announcements,andotherrelevantitems.youmusthaveavalidutor andshouldconsultblackboardregularly. 2

3 READINGLIST: Allprimaryreadingsarerequired.Supplementaryreadingsarestronglyrecommended. Whilethevolumeofsuggestedsupplementaryreadingsmeansyouwillnotbeabletocover themall,aselectionwillhelpelucidateaspectsoftheprimaryreadingyoufindparticularly challengingorinteresting.othersupplementaryarticlesmaybeobtainedfromthe Instructoronrequest.Inadditiontotheitemslistedbelow,otherreadingsmaybeposted onthecoursewebsiteandtreatedasrequired.theweeklydistributionofreadingsis subjecttomodification. Muchofthematerialiscomplexandchallenging,andyoumustbepreparedtoreadandrereadattentively.Donotcometoclasswithouttheweek sreadingmaterials,aswewillrefer tothetextsthroughouttheclass. SeeBlackboardforwheretoobtainbooksandreadings. BackgroundReading: HentdeVries,LaurenceSullivan, Introduction PoliticalTheologies:PublicReligionsina Post secularworld.(newyork:fordhamuniversitypress,2006). OlivierMarchartPost FoundationalPoliticalThought:PoliticalDifferenceinNancy,Lefort, BadiouandLaclauIntroduction,pp SCHEDULEOFCLASSESANDREADINGS Week1 Introduction: Inlightofthe12weekterm,youshouldhavereadtheBackgroundReadingbeforethefirst class,availableonblackboardorfromtheinstructorby request. Week2 CarlSchmittPoliticalTheology:FourChaptersontheConceptofSovereignty,ed.G.Schwab, T.Strong,(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,2005) TheConceptofthePolitical,ed.G.Schwab,T.Strong,(Chicago:UniversityofChicago Press,1996)pp Supplementary: JasonFrank,TracyMcNulty. TakingExceptiontotheException,Diacritics.Summer2007. Vol.37,Iss.2/3;p S.Zizek, CarlSchmittintheAgeofPost Politics inc.mouffe(ed.),thechallengeofcarl Schmitt(London:Verso,1999)pp. BonnieHonig, TheMiracleofMetaphor:RethinkingtheStateofExceptionwith RosenzweigandSchmitt CriticalInquiryVolume36,Number2,Winter

4 HeinrichMeier,TheLessonofCarlSchmitt:FourChaptersontheDistinctionbetween PoliticalTheologyandPoliticalPhilosophy.(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1994) Week3 WalterBenjamin, CritiqueofViolence inm.jenningsed.walterbenjamin:selected Writings,(CambridgeMass:Belknap,1996)pp OntheConceptofHistory.Blackboard Theologico PoliticalFragment.Blackboard. Supplementary: JudithButler Critique,CoercionandSacredLifeinBenjamin s CritiqueofViolence de VriesandSullivaneds.PoliticalTheologies:PublicReligionsinaPost SecularWorld.(New York:FordhamUniversityPress,2006). MarcdeWilde ViolenceintheStateofException:ReflectionsonTheologico Political MotifsinBenjaminandSchmitt devriesandsullivaneds.politicaltheologies:public ReligionsinaPost SecularWorld.(NewYork:FordhamUniversityPress,2006). SamuelWeber,"TakingExceptiontoDecision,"inDiacritics,vol.22,no.3 4(Autumn Winter1992) TracyMcNulty, TheCommandmentagainsttheLaw:WritingandDivineJusticeinWalter Benjamin s CritiqueofViolence Diacritics,Volume37,Number2 3,Summer Fall2007. pp Week4 GiorgioAgambenHomoSacer:SovereignPowerandBareLife(Stanford:StanfordUniversity Press,1998) Supplementary G.Agamben,excerptsfromTheTimethatRemains:ACommentaryontheLettertothe Romans,trans.PatriciaDailey(Stanford:StanfordU.Press,2005).SeeBlackboard. JeffreySLibrett. FromtheSacrificeoftheLettertotheVoiceofTestimony:Giorgio Agamben sfulfillmentofmetaphysics Diacritics.Summer2007.Vol.37,Iss.2/3;p BrianBritt, TheSchmittianMessiahinAgamben stimethatremains. CriticalInquiry Volume36,Number2,Winter2010. Week5 4

5 JacquesDerrida,ForceofLaw:TheMysticalFoundationofAuthorityinDerrida,Anidjar, ActsofReligion(NewYork:Routledge,2002). SupplementaryforWeeks5 8 JohnCaputo, WithoutSovereignty,WithoutBeing:Unconditionality,theComingGodand Derrida sdemocracytocome JournalforCulturalandReligiousTheory4.3,2003 JohnCaputoThePrayersandTearsofJacquesDerrida:ReligionwithoutReligion.(Indiana UniversityPress,2003) PhengCheahandSuzanneGuerlac,eds.DerridaandtheTimeofthePolitical.(Durham: DukeUniversityPress,2009). JacquesDerrida ForceandSignification and ViolenceandMetaphysics inwritingand Difference(London:Routledge,1978). selectionsfrompoliticsoffriendshipandspectresofmarx seeblackboard. MartinHägglundRadicalAtheism:DerridaandtheTimeofLife(Stanford:StanfordUP, 2008) StevenShakespeare,DerridaandTheology.(ContinuumPress,2009) Week6 JacquesDerrida Faithandknowledge:thetwosourcesof religion withinthelimitsof merereason. Religion.ed.J.DerridaandG.Vattimo.(Stanford:StanfordUP,1998) Weeks7 8 JacquesDerridaRogues:TwoEssaysonReason(Stanford:StanfordUniversityPress,2005). Weeks9 10 Jean LucNancyTheDis enclosure;thedeconstructionofchristianity(fordham:fordham UniversityPress,2008). SupplementaryforWeeks9 10 OlivierMarchartPost FoundationalPoliticalThought:PoliticalDifferenceinNancy,Lefort, BadiouandLaclauChapter3,pp Marie EveMorin"AmeleewithoutSacrifice:Nancy'sOntologyofSufferingagainst Derrida'sPoliticsofSacrifice"PhilosophyTodayVol.50pg AndreasWagner, Jean LucNancy:anegativepolitics? Philosophy&SocialCriticism (January2006),32(1),pg LaurenstenKate IntimateDistance:RethinkingtheUnthoughtGodinChristianity Sophia (2008)47:

6 Week11 SlavojZizek,EricL.Santner,KennethReinhardTheNeighbour:ThreeInquiriesinPolitical Theology.(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,2005). Supplementary: NicholasBrown { } {$}?Or,AlainBadiouandSlavojZizek,WaitingforSomethingto Happen TheNewCentennialReview(February2004),4(3),pg EricVogt, ExceptioninZizek sthought,diacritics,volume37,number2 3,Summer Fall 2007.pp Week12 AlainBadiou.SaintPaul:TheFoundationofUniversalism;(Stanford:StanfordUniversity Press,2003) SlavojZizek, ThePoliticsofTruth,or,AlainBadiouasaReaderofSt.Paul, intheticklish Subject:TheAbsentCoreofPoliticalOntology(NewYork:Verso,1999)pp Supplementary OlivierMarchartPost FoundationalPoliticalThought:PoliticalDifferenceinNancy,Lefort, BadiouandLaclauChapter5,pp ColinWright, EventorException?:DisentanglingBadioufromSchmitt,or,Towardsa PoliticsoftheVoid Theory&Event(June2008),11(2) EdPluth, ThePaulineEvent?,Theory&Event,Volume3,Issue3,1999(Review) 6

University of Toronto Department of Political Science Department for the Study of Religion JPR 2057H /457H DEMOCRACY AND THE SECULAR SYLLABUS 2012

University of Toronto Department of Political Science Department for the Study of Religion JPR 2057H /457H DEMOCRACY AND THE SECULAR SYLLABUS 2012 Fall Term - Monday, 12:00-2:00 Jackman Humanities Building,