Political Theology

Recent events have taught us that God is alive and well in the political imagination of modern people. But the entanglement of theology and politics has been there from the very beginning: it was Plato, after all, who first coined the term "theology," and that too in the most famous work of political theory: The Republic. In this seminar, we will attempt to unravel this knot through readings on two central themes: the Graeco-Roman and Christian underpinnings of modern politics and the central role desire and the construction of the self plays in the elaboration of this politics. Readings will primarily be taken from the philosophical and historical writings of thinkers like Kantorowitcz, Schmitt, Deleuze/Guattari, Foucault, Wynter, Weil, as well as some works of literature and films. Undergraduates register for 200-level for 5 units. Graduate students register for 300-level for 3-5 units