Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Theory, Culture & Society |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 3-26 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| ISSN | 0263-2764 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Published online: 20. July 2018Keywords
- Agamben
- Economy
- Foucault
- Lliturgy
- Neoliberalism
- Pastorate
- Schmitt
Cite this
}
What is Economic Theology? A New Governmental-political Paradigm? / Dean, Mitchell.
In: Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 36, No. 3, 05.2019, p. 3-26.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - What is Economic Theology?
T2 - A New Governmental-political Paradigm?
AU - Dean, Mitchell
N1 - Published online: 20. July 2018
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - Countering claims of its impossibility, this paper argues for economic theology as an intelligible figure of contemporary political rationality and organization, and a distinctive analytical strategy in relation to forms of liberal and neoliberal governmentality and the contemporary management of social life. As an analytical strategy, it has two arms: an institutional one, drawing upon Michel Foucault’s work on the pastorate; and a conceptual one, following from Giorgio Agamben on oikonomia, order and providence. Economic theology was the arcana of 20th-century debates on both political theology and governmentality and a condition for their emergence. It formed the horizon of Carl Schmitt’s intervention of a political theology in response to Max Weber, and, as the pastorate, it was for Foucault the historical background of the emergence of the liberal arts of government. While appearing as a new paradigm, it thus has a measure of priority over our more established ones. Furthermore, to the extent that economic theology comes to occupy the place of political rationality in contemporary liberal-democratic societies, the political becomes less a rational public sphere and more a form of public liturgy.
AB - Countering claims of its impossibility, this paper argues for economic theology as an intelligible figure of contemporary political rationality and organization, and a distinctive analytical strategy in relation to forms of liberal and neoliberal governmentality and the contemporary management of social life. As an analytical strategy, it has two arms: an institutional one, drawing upon Michel Foucault’s work on the pastorate; and a conceptual one, following from Giorgio Agamben on oikonomia, order and providence. Economic theology was the arcana of 20th-century debates on both political theology and governmentality and a condition for their emergence. It formed the horizon of Carl Schmitt’s intervention of a political theology in response to Max Weber, and, as the pastorate, it was for Foucault the historical background of the emergence of the liberal arts of government. While appearing as a new paradigm, it thus has a measure of priority over our more established ones. Furthermore, to the extent that economic theology comes to occupy the place of political rationality in contemporary liberal-democratic societies, the political becomes less a rational public sphere and more a form of public liturgy.
KW - Agamben
KW - Economy
KW - Foucault
KW - Liturgy
KW - Neoliberalism
KW - Pastorate
KW - Schmitt
KW - Agamben
KW - Economy
KW - Foucault
KW - Lliturgy
KW - Neoliberalism
KW - Pastorate
KW - Schmitt
UR - https://sfx-45cbs.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/45cbs?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/sfxit.com:azlist&sfx.ignore_date_threshold=1&rft.object_id=954925498076
U2 - 10.1177/0263276418787622
DO - 10.1177/0263276418787622
M3 - Journal article
VL - 36
SP - 3
EP - 26
JO - Theory, Culture & Society
JF - Theory, Culture & Society
SN - 0263-2764
IS - 3
ER -